


Scattered Illusions

by Faecat



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-15 13:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 249,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/850003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faecat/pseuds/Faecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Neutral informant and an Autobot Front-liner find themselves here on Earth; perhaps there is a chance for something more than war here...perhaps not.  This is an OC/OC centric fic.  Originally started on Fanfiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Event One

**Author's Note:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
> Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
> Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event One**

_~_

_The illusions of our minds are scattered to the winds as we look upon the beginning and think of nothing but the end. The story everyone wants to hear, is all that happens in between. Wake the illusions and speak clearly. Everyone is listening._

~

 

Guard duty. Hardly a fitting duty for a front-liner such as himself, but Scatterblade was a mech to make any duty enjoyable. Of course, tormenting the little Decepticon scientist he was in charge of safeguarding made it all worth while.

Smiling as the small mech scrambled across his cage to get away from the constant pelting of small bits of this-and-that Scatterblade kept flinging at him, the front-liner tried to remember exactly why this particular scientist was so important. Sure, the higher-ups wanted to question him, they always wanted to question the more interesting prisoners, but this one – he was odd in every mention of the word. A microbot with optics several sizes too large for his tiny head, and even more absurd were the spectacle attachments he had that made the already oversized optics look dramatically larger.

“You're so weird,” Scatterblade mumbled as he threw more small bits at the scuttling mech. It was one of the few entertainments he had at their temporary camp. “I doubt you could even lift a laser scalpel, let alone actually use one. What kind of scientist are you?”

“Like I vould tell you, pest!” The little scientist hissed.

“Eh, doesn't really matter to me. I'm not the one you have to tell.” To Scatterblade's intense amusement, the most recent bit of random scrap hit the little scientist right between his freakishly large optics and knocked the mech from his many legs, leaving him flailing like some strange insect trapped on its back.

“You vill regret, Autobot, you vill regret!”

“Scatterblade,” Traildust grumbled, “can't you leave him alone long enough to get a few joors of recharge? I'm tired of hearing the little fragger yell at you.”

“Ah, it's just a little fun Traildust. Lighten up.”

“I just want to recharge so we can move on. I don't like it here, feels too open.”

“You worry too much. I've been this way a thousand times easy. The 'Con's never come this far in.” The front-liner stretched, his slightly larger than standard frame shadowing both of his companions – both built for more speed, less for the brutal up-front kind of fighting Scatterblade was made for – his black armor reflected the pale light of the moons hanging in the sky above them. “This is the easy part.”

Not too far away, another mech groaned. “I can't wait for this to be over, I don't know what I was thinking going on this mission in the first place.”

“Oh, maybe that it was in your job description when you signed on?” Scatterblade teased. “You're not usually so glum Speedrunner, what's gotten into you?”

The young mech shrugged as he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. He was weary, unable to recharge the past several orns as they traveled with their single prisoner to the rendezvous point. “I don't like being separated from the team,” he admitted gloomily.

“Come on, buddy, we're not far now,” Scatterblade tried to assure his young friend.

“Far enough!” The little insect-like prisoner screeched merrily.

Before any of the mechs could comprehend what could have brought such glee to their captive, a loud shriek announced the discharge of a plasma rifle.

Scatterblade was up and seeking out their attackers in an instant, only to freeze at the still form of Traildust laying at his feet. “Primus...”

The mech had no face anymore, the blast almost completely decapitated him. Scatterblade watched in horror as the young mech's spark fluttered one last time before vanishing completely.

“Traildust!” Speedrunner roared in desperate anger as he launched himself toward their enemies, now appearing in the gloom of the night like dark shadows surrounding them. The mech was fast, too fast to track as he rushed through the small ambush party. One mech fell before he even realized the speedster was there, his spark extinguished before he hit the ground. Another suffered a similar fate to Traildust as the small mech released several point blank blaster shots in his face. By the time Speedrunner hit the third mech, it seemed everyone had found their momentum; Scatterblade finally moving to help his comrade face their foes, the Decepticons recognizing the threat of the smaller mech.

Everything after that was a blur to him; he remembered hitting the 'Cons like a brick wall, he remembered the ship looming in the distance, he remembered Speedrunner falling to the ground with a large hole in the center of his chest and not getting back up. He memorized the mech standing over his young comrade – the mech that had deactivated him – even as that same mech turned to Scatterblade with burning red optics.

“Stop!” Scatterblade barely registered the voice of their once prisoner as he continued to struggle against the mechs that had trapped his arms; when had that happened? They were effectively pinning him, making him an easy target for the other mech.

“What? Why?” The murder asked disgustedly.

“Because, Steelgear; zhis von is mine.” The sheer malice in the tiny mech's voice was enough to send a shiver through Scatterblade. “He vill make an excellent specimen!”

Steelgear relented, dropping the weapon he had aimed at the Autobot. “Whatever you say, Scalpel.” After all, there would be no living if he defied the creepy little scientist his new specimen. No living at all.

“Are you ready, Autobot?” Scalpel crooned as he climbed the writhing front-liner. “Ve vill make you regret, oh yes, you vill regret... _very_ deeply.”

The Decepticon was good to his word; Scatterblade did regret. He regretted that he hadn't just squished the microbot when he'd had the chance. He regretted that he had been so lax that night, he had been trained better than that, but familiarity had given him too much confidence. Most of all, he regretted that he had not been able to save his teammates.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

A small, sleek femme strode easily through a broken city. She glanced around cautiously every few kliks; this was not a place for a lone femme to be traveling, but she knew well enough how to keep herself safe – so long as she saw the danger coming.

Finally reaching her destination, the femme slid into a rather dilapidated hovel of a building, pausing as she crossed the threshold. For a moment all other systems went to minimal operation levels, diverting all attention and power to her sensors, looking for the one presence she knew would be there, and for any that should not have been.

“Enter, femme,” a deep voice rumbled, knocking loose rust and grime that had only been clinging to the walls by sheer will to be there. “I'm the only one here.”

“I hardly expected you to respect the premiss of our agreement, Heavyloader.” The dim light reflecting on her armor made the femme look gray and dusty, while almost completely hiding the dark colored mech she was meeting with. “Somehow I acquired the feeling that this meeting would be an ambuscade.”

The mech breached the encompassing shadows, a dark amusement on his face. “Who says it's not? You are far too valuable to us to let you keep wondering around faction-less...” He was a large mech, easily three times the size of the femme and marked heavily with the scars of many battles. Obviously he could take a hit and walk with it. That in its self was a little unnerving to the much smaller femme, but the tone of his voice was something beyond reason. She got the feeling that the ever questionable option of 'no' had been completely denied as soon as she had walked into the same room as the intimidating mech. “You will join with us.” He pointedly held out a faction brand – not a marker that could easily be removed, but a brand that would require much work and pain to be rid of; not to mention the pain it would cause burning into her frame.

“As you already know, I will not join either side. I do not care about your war, or what you do with it.” She attempted to exude the confidence normally carried to these meetings.

She really _didn't_ care for this war – if both factions were to destroy each other completely, she was sure that she would be no more concerned. However, the look of this mech had her on edge. If he had been placed under orders to bring the femme into his faction, he would; or she was sure she would be offlined for his attempts.

“I did not ask.”

“The answer is still 'no'. Now, if you are prepared to deal our normal business – my information is rather high priced this orn. It does involve the location of key factors of power...”

The mech's optics fell to barely perceived slits as he watched her. “So your initial offer suggested...”

The femme was somewhat relieved that he seemed truly interested in the information she had to offer, at least, that is what she thought. “And my price?”

“Was high.”

“It still is.”

He thought for a moment more before giving a slight nod of his head and the femme received notification of credit transfer. Once the credits were fully secured and properly shifted and stowed to prevent any double-crossing, she began un-coding the information for transfer, but before it was complete, the mech grabbed her arm and was attempting to push the brand onto her chestplate.

“What do you think you're doing!?” She demanded, only just managing to slip far enough that the brand missed her – mostly. Her left shoulder was grazed by the sticky solution of the brand and slowly started burning a partial mark into the metal. The femme was unable to pull her arm completely from his grasp though, and the mech attempted again.

She was thankful in that moment that she had spent so much time learning the intricate arts of close combat and pulled her hidden blades. After two deep gashes to the offending arm encouraged the mech to release hers. It wouldn't stop him – clearly, the mech had scars that ran deeper than the cuts the femme had inflicted – but it was enough to provide her the half klik she needed to escape the ramshackle room.

The femme's chosen means of survival provided her an upper-hand as she rushed through the twists, turns, tunnels, nooks, crannies, and crevices of the areas in which she operated.

Heavyloader's large size was intimidating, and powerful without doubt, but worked heavily against him when it came to chasing the illusive femme. She was able to loose him not too far into the run, but as she had expected, he had not come alone. It seems the Decepticons were serious this time. Either she would join them, or she would be removed from the equation, as it were. Apparently, they were confident enough in their own skills, or had been so sure that forcing her to join would be successful, that offlining the fememe didn't seem to be something they were concerned with.

It quickly became clear that the femme's only hope – which was a good one for her, considering her smaller size – was that she knew of a tunnel that would quickly take her far from this area and opened out into a port station. Once there, she stole upon the first ship going out and then ejected before she was detected aboard.

She had come to lay her fate in the hands of whatever chose to design her future as she floated through the vastness of space. It seemed like a blessing when the small blue planet came into view. It looked rather promising with some signals good enough to warrant some interest to the femme, there was sentient life here.

However, not long after she made planetfall did she discover that there was something else here – clear Decepticon and Autobot signatures.

The war had spread all the way out to this secluded region of the universe. So much for for her hopes of finding a peaceful place to exist.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Charlie rolled again in her sleeping bag. Labor day weekend at Bear Lake was looking better every passing hour. She had promised her friends that she would go camping with them, but despite the size of their rather large group, she found herself to be the only one awake at this early hour of the morning.

Deciding that such an agreeable fall morning deserved to be enjoyed to it's fullest, Charlie took to the hiking paths. The sun was making its way up into the sky, pouring into the canyon like liquid gold. Trees had been turning colors for the past few weeks creating a beautiful display as golds, reds and oranges lit the campgrounds on fire beneath the rising sun's glow. This was something Charlie had always wanted to see; growing up in southern California left her rather inexperienced in the changing of seasons. Logan, Utah seemed more than happy to oblige her.

The river seemed to call to Charlie as she passed. Its freezing waters were normally tinted a soft green, due to the foliage collecting at the bottom, but currently it was filled to the brim with flood waters and very little greenery found stability there. Near the water, the banks were bare and exposed, roots from nearby trees were now hanging off the side of the bank like crooked fingers seeking purchase on in the too soft land.

She paid close attention to the way the falling leaves changed the campgrounds, it looked like a completely different place and to Charlie it made everything look more alive. A small bridge invited her to cross, leading her deeper into the forested areas of the campgrounds where she spotted something that was most definitely not alive.

Two trees grew close to each other, their branches weaving together in a way that only years of such close growth could weave, casting a single shape into deep shadows. A car sat pressed against the trees, looking suspiciously clean of any of the falling leaves that covered everything else around it, though it was completely abandoned and obviously wrecked.

Charlie's brow furrowed as she tried to fathom how a car could have gotten this far; there were roads on this side of the river, and perhaps a cabin or two, but the area would have been difficult to drive through, let alone to crash. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. The other notable thing was something else that was missing; there were no other signs of a wreck besides the car itself. The ground was undisturbed, trees undamaged. If this car had crashed here, there should have been _some_ evidence of the event.

Approaching the vehicle she got a better look at the damage. The back and sides of the car were in very good shape, only a little dirtied by mud crusted onto the bottom as if the car had been driven through the mud during the flood times. All of the damage seemed confined to the front.

It looked as if the front end had been nearly destroyed by a front end collision; the bumper was completely torn off, the grill smashed in deeply with bits of engine peaking through, both headlights seemed intact, aside from how they hung at strange angles and the hood itself was crumpled deeply.

Charlie pressed her hands to the window so she could see inside the wrecked vehicle. There was nothing, and no one, inside. She sighed with relief. If the car was abandoned then hopefully whomever had been involved was okay.

Illusory's sensors pinged at the approach of a life form, but she pushed it off as nothing more than one of the small creatures that tended to roam this area and further settled into her recharge cycle. She was bored beyond belief with recharge seeming to be the only escape from the monotony of her current situation. Hiding wasn't something she was unused to, but at this length it was pushing at her limits. She just wished she knew how connected to the sentient species of this planet the warring factions had become. It was simply too risky to have one of the creatures run to one of the other 'bots on this planet and turn her in.

She jolted slightly at the feeling of contact when the organic creature touched her, all of her sensors came roaring to life causing a very quiet hum to vibrate through her frame. As readings came back to her from preliminary scans she realized this was one of the sentient creatures. What was it doing all the way out here? And alone, according to her scans...

Charlie felt the oddest sensation run through her arms, like tickling electricity crawling over her skin. She jumped back, tripping over a tree root, fell and scrambled away from the car. “Oh, Jeezz!” She exclaimed as she shook her arms as if to dislodge whatever was crawling on her. A tingling sensation ran through her spine like it usually did when she was disturbed by something. She sat in the dirt and leaves just staring at the car. Had that just been her over active imagination jumping to life? She sat there for a long time just easing her heart rate down and staring at the white vehicle. “What the heck just happened?” she whispered aloud. It wasn’t a question directed to anyone in particular, just an old habit of talking to herself resurfacing in the face of nerves.

Illusory's curiosity was quickly winning out over caution - after all, there were no spark signatures for as far as her sensors could reach, and this human was by its self... "I scanned you,” she stated matter-of-factually, though she kept her voice very quiet so as not to entirely terrify the human, and also to prevent her voice from traveling further than the immediate area.

Charlie jumped again, spinning around quickly to her feet. “Rachel?” She called hoping it had been one of the girls from camp that had spoken. After a moment of with no answer, the words she had heard registered.

Scan.

She felt her heart rate pick up, taking on a rather panicked tempo. Turning back to the car, she took a step forward. “Is.. is someone in there?” She asked her voice higher than it usually was. She had looked inside the car, there hadn't been anyone there, she was sure of it.

Seeing the human's odd response, Illusory decided that perhaps a direct approach wasn't the right way, so she took a few kliks to duplicate the humans appearance, altering it slightly so that she didn't appear exactly the same. She created a holoform of a human femme of about the same age as this one, pale blond hair pulled back behind her head in a loose tie. Her clothing was very similar to the human femme's sense she wasn't sure what was acceptable for this area. Her holoform optics were the only thing she refused to give on, and they mimicked her own Neutral declaring yellow color. "I am here."

The girl could see now that there was a woman inside the car, sitting innocently enough in the driver's seat. She hurried to the car and opened the door. “Are you okay? How long have you been out here?” She asked, concern quickly overwhelming her previous confusion.

Illusory did not move her holoform from its place, she simply looked at the human with curiosity. "The damage looks worse than it actually is. I am fully functional." After another moments pause she answered; "I have been here for quite some time, it is they only place I have deemed safe enough."

Charlie gave the woman an odd look. Her statement concerned her further. Maybe there was some head trauma? “Okay,” she said slowly. “What do you mean 'safe enough'? Logan’s pretty safe. I mean, there’s so many cops they spend all their time catching speeders.” She scrutinizing her for any damage, or obvious signs of abuse.

When she was sure there was nothing apparent, she realized the way the woman was looking at her. Curiosity evident in her strangely pale eyes. “You’re not from around here, are ya?” She said with a welcoming smile.

A broad smile broke across Illusory's holoform's face. "No, I am not. I have come from...quite a distance. Though I have to admit that this place is very interesting." Did this human know of the Cybertronians that existed on her planet? Sometimes it was so hard to tell what information was 'common' and what was secreted away. Especially when one spent all of her time tucked away in a rural area with little to no contact to any informational devices available. "I have limited access to your informational networks - I do not know that your 'cops' would be enough to prevent those with interest in my existence from pursuing me."

Charlie’s smile fled and was replaced by a worried frown. “Are you…sure you’re okay?” There was obviously something not quite right about this woman.

"I am entirely functional," Illusory assured the human. "Simply...a little detached, you might say."

Charlie gave her a look that very clearly stated she did not believe her. “You sound like a person who’s been living under a rock for the past fifty years. And I’m pretty sure my grandparents never said that they were ‘functional’.” She used her fingers to make quotations in the air at the word.

"How else should I describe my state of operation?" Illusory realized she had a rather formal style of speech - it was a personal choice, nothing to do with where or how she had been brought up – however, there was something she didn't quite understand. "How does one live 'under a rock'?"

Charlie stared the blond in shock before bursting into laughter. “It means to be behind the times. Where are you from again?” She decided that this was one weird chick, but fun.

"That...is a complicated question to answer." The femme-in-diguise studied the human for another moment, trying to judge if she should simply avoid the subject all together, or mislead this organic femme somehow. "It is quite some distance from here. A desolate little place near Tygar Pax. Hardly anyone really knows of it anymore."

Charlie might have only been to Utah, Idaho and Wyoming so far in her life, but she was sure there wasn’t a place in the US called Tygar Pax. The sense of something wrong with this woman grew stronger. She was either mentally ill or she was...well, Charlie's imagination was rampant with ideas. This weird woman could be a serial killer. Or a psychopath. Or both.

Forcing these out of her mind, Charlie tried to press on and gather more information about this strange woman out in the middle of no where, hiding in a wrecked car. “Why are you out here? In a broken down car?” Something else occurred to her; “You must be starving! How long have you been out here?”

Illusory shrugged, "It has been a while. My stores are running low, but as long as I maintain a low level of function, they will last quite some time yet. I am 'out here' because it is secluded and away from the general populace. It is far easier to remain hidden, and the 'broken down car' is merely for appearances."

Charlie was now at a complete loss for words. “W-what?” She stammered after a few moments, now certain this woman needed help. Most likely of the 'special' variety. “Do you…want to come to my camp for a minute? We can call a tow truck or an ambulance. We could go to the hospital, get you looked at.”

"I do not need assistance, but thank you for your concern. As much as I would like to see more of this area, I do not dare move too close to civilization. That is where they will likely be looking." She turned her yellow eyes to the human femme. "Thank you for speaking with me though, it was a nice distraction form the 'everyday'. I will not keep you any longer." With that the hologram faded into nothingness and Illusory pulled her door closed once more.

Awestruck and a little upset, Charlie rushed to the car. “No. You can’t stay out here, you’ll die,” she said attempting to pull the door open, only to find it locked. “You can’t stay here!” She said sternly and loud enough to be sure the woman could hear her.

"I can," Illusory stated. "It is far safer here for now, and there is no need for shouting, I can hear you just fine."

“I’m serious. I didn’t see any food in there. I didn’t even know you were in there, and what’s this crap about your car being just for show?” she demanded. She really did want to help this woman, the thought of leaving her out here alone, with no food and nothing but a wrecked car for shelter made her feel queasy.

Nights were cold as it was and the wind didn’t help much. As if to demonstrate, icy winds blew at Charlie as she struggled with the unrelenting car door. It was enough to make her stop to pull her jacket closed, zipping it up against the chill.

With a heavy venting of warm air, Illusory began to think she shouldn't have interacted with this human at all. "I do not require 'food'." She allowed her engine to rumble a little with her disappointment in herself. She knew better than to draw attention to herself when she was in hiding, she had just been so eager to jump at the opportunity for something outside of the monotony. "And I have chosen this damaged form to better excuse the reason for why a car would be out this far from civilization."

Charlie just stood there trying to comprehend what the girl had said. The engine had rumbled as if it were still running, but she knew the car wasn't running before, and she hadn't heard it start up. Not only that, but the damage made it clear that this car _couldn't_ run _._

A creeping suspicion began to worm its way under her skin. “That was you?” She asked stepping away from the girl and her car.

"Who else would it have been?"

She shook her head. “No I mean, how'd you get this car to run? It's too busted up to turn over...”

Illusory pondered for a moment, before deciding that she didn't care about remaining 'undercover' anymore. What would one human do anyway? She opened her drive's side door, revealing the emptiness of the seat and revved her engine again.

Charlie’s jaw dropped and she scrambled backward in an attempt to run away. She felt her back hit a tree and used the momentum to turn herself around. Unfortunately she had paid too little attention to where she had been going, suddenly the ground beneath her was gone and icy cold water welcomed her with a tumultuous embrace. She found herself twirled, twisted, and pulled to the bottom of the swollen river. She tried to kick off once her feet found purchase on the bottom. Once she broke surface, it was a struggle to keep her head above water as the current pulled her downstream.

Illusory hadn't quite expected that kind of response, and a shock of concern washed through her. She wasn't well versed on humans, but she knew that as a 'warm blooded mammal' they didn't respond well to extreme cold, and she knew the water to be very cold, as well as the temperature of the air around them. She pulled her door shut again and drove herself to the bank of the river, hoping the human had made it out of the water okay.

What she saw was the human grabbing for rocks before she was slammed into them, her hands slipped right over them. The current was too strong and she couldn’t find a solid, graspable surface.

Coughing as water splashed in her mouth, threatening to choke her, Charlie see the next rock coming. It was large, like an island jutting out of the water and easily left her breathless after she was propelled against it. Her arms wrapped around it, but her grip was weak, her mind fuzzy from the harsh impact, and her limbs growing chill due to the icy waters. She was slipping in more ways than one.

Seeing the human was clearly in danger, Illusory drove quickly down the river bank until she was close to her, then jumped the bank - transforming into her bipedal mode even as her tires left the solid ground so that her movements carried easily into swift strides. She quickly scooped the human from the waters and hoisted her close to her optics to scan her quickly. The shade of blue the organic was taking on was highly troubling to the femme.

Feeling herself free of the water, the redhead tried to heave big breaths of air. It hurt badly, but soon she was able to breathe again. Her arms were shaking from the exertion of fighting the stream. Her whole body was shaking because of the cold water now soaking her clothes. Eyes tightly closed in reflexive denial of a fate she hadn't wanted to see coming, Charlie focused on breathing deeply to reintroduce oxygen into her lungs and relax. Her chest and back ached horribly from where the rocks had hit her.

Not liking the way the human shivered one bit, Illusory did the only thing that came to her processor. She transformed back into her vehicle mode, careful to drop the human onto her back seat during the transformation so that she didn't get pinched or bumped in the process. "You should not have run into the water,” she scolded softly, raising her internal temperature to warm the human.

Charlie opened her eyes at the voice. It took her a moment to register where she was; inside the car. The car that the strange girl had come from, and vanished into. The car that had run when it clearly should not have been able to. The car that opened its own doors, and continued to run without a driver to operate it. She tried sitting up but immediately laid back down as pain and dizziness overtook her. “I-I didn’t mean to r-run into the water,” she stammered nervously, “you-you scared me a little.” Really 'a little' hardly explained the level of fear the whole scene had struck in her, was still striking inside of her, but the – what did she call it? – wasn't hurting her, so she thought she should at least try to sound a little braver than she felt.

"I apologize for that," Illusory sounded truly sorry, "I should not have interacted with you."

Charlie caught her breath back and sat up trying not to wince out loud. The dizziness was gone and the pain was fading, at least she knew nothing was broken. Taking a moment to build some courage, she looked around the empty car, being sure that she wasn't just overlooking the girl somehow. “So…” she shivered before finishing, “what _are_ you?”

“Just as I appear to be,” Illusory kicked her internal heat higher to help dry and warm the human. “I am Cybertronian.”

“You’re a what?” she was confused by the term.

Maybe these creatures didn't know of the aliens invading their world? "I am Cybertronian. An...well, an alien to your world. I come from a planet known as Cybertron."

Charlie was surprised to say the least, though she wasn't sure why after everything she had just seen. “An alien…car,” she said bluntly not really understanding how a car could be an alien.

"No. I am not a 'car', that is just the alternate form I scanned to remain hidden while on your planet. I am an autonomous robot - a species highly advanced beyond your own, which is why if you are unaware of us, I should not be making any contact at all. I am only lucky that others do not know of my presence here, or I am sure I would pay for this dearly."

“There’s… you’re not alone here? On the planet, here?” She asked, then revised her question. “Why are you hiding from them?” Charlie wanted to know. For some reason, she wasn’t scared anymore. Something about this being just _called_ to her. It didn’t seems like it, she?, was going to hurt her. After all, the robot had saved her from the river, how bad could she be?

Illusory vented again, this time the sound was weary and annoyed. “There are others here, yes, though I cannot say how many or really where they are. I am hiding from them because they are fighting a foolish war that I want no part of...but they would drag me into anyway.” A frustrated rumble shook through her frame at the memories of what had lead to her being here. The subject needed to be changed. “Are you recovering all right? Should I escort you to one of your 'hospitals' for assistance?”

“I think I’ll be okay,” she said nodding in self assurance. “Just need to get back to.,.” her expression fell at the thought, “camp. I should head back to camp. I’ve got dry clothes there.” She opened the door and stepped out. A small part of her amazed that this alien was so willing to let her just walk away. “It was a…nice meeting you.” She laughed. “Sorry! We never properly introduced ourselves! You don’t even know my name, it’s Charlie.”

“It was very pleasant to meet you too, Charlie. My designation is Illusory. Be safe, and try not to fall into the river again. It is not healthy for your species to become so cold.” Illusory allowed her door to remain open as she watched the human. It really had been a nice change of things to talk to someone, she just knew she would want to talk again.


	2. Event Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Two**

_~_

_We wake from our nightmares; only sometimes we wake to a world that is worse than our dreams. We find ourselves more physically scattered to the winds in the waking world than the phantom separations within our illusions. Sometimes, waking up is the hardest part, sometimes...sometimes it is standing up when we are awake._

_~_

 

How long had it been? Orns? Vorns? Eternity? He couldn't remember. All he had known was pain, and torture at the hands of his captors. What they had done...no 'bot should ever have to experience that. Not even the ones that had administered such tortures. 'Well,' Scatterblade thought ruefully, 'maybe them.'

Every time his mind turned to the strange programming forced into him, the mutilation of his very frame, he would shiver involuntarily. He hated it, was afraid of it, could barely even comprehend it. Worse was his spark. What had they done to his spark?

His escape had been nothing but miraculous, and there was nothing that was ever going to make him go back. Not willingly, and not against his will either. He would rather be deactivated running from them than to live for their experiments. If he ran, there was a chance he could fix what they had done to him...wasn't there? Maybe if he found an Autobot base they would help him. 'If they don't shoot me first,' he moaned internally.

Creeping along the desolate shores of a planet he had no ideas about, Scatterblade tried to get his processor together. 'One step at a time,' he told himself. First, he had to figure out where he was.

The corrosive waters crashed against the rocks of the shore, and splattered his black armor. It was cool against his hot frame, and despite the discomfort of the salt biting into his metal and wires, he welcomed it. Anything to cool him down, to give him focus, to distract him. Whatever it was, he would take it, so long as it meant that he was free and he was alive.

Finding a cave shallowly revealed by the crashing waters, Scatterblade thought that maybe his luck was improving. The Decepticons would never look for him there...he was pretty sure.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Charlie was a little shocked with herself as she approached the camp where all of her friends were likely still sleeping. She was completely calm about the whole alien thing; she did believe a little bit about the paranormal and other worldly, so maybe that was why it was easy for her to accept? Still, this seemed way out there. It was crazy, and she was accepting it as truth. She had just encountered an alien, _an alien_ , and she was completely calm about it.

She laughed as she nearly toppled into the first tent, accidentally rousing the occupants. I wonder what else will happen today, she thought. Extraordinary mornings should have extraordinary endings.

Turning to the fire to get away from the tent she saw two of her fellow campers, Steven and Nate, sitting in chairs, their feet propped impossibly close to the flames. Both boys were laughing at her ungraceful blunder.

“Where'd you go?” Nate asked as the girl came to join them.

Charlie felt a faint wave of exhilaration flow through her at the thought of telling her friends about the alien she had found lurking in the woods, yet something inside her said 'no'. She wanted to keep this secret for herself. Besides, Illusory had said she was in hiding, hadn't she? Running around and telling everyone she knew about her probably wouldn't be appreciated by the robot/car/whatever she was.

Steven noticed Charlie’s wet hair and made his own speculation. “Did you find a shower?”

“It was more of a bath,” she answered nervously. “Got too close to the water, bank gave out.”

Sudden concern flushed both boys faces at her comment.

“Chuck, you know the water’s been filled with muck since summer? And it’s still freezing?” Nate used the pet name he had lovingly bestowed upon her against her will at the beginning of the year, yet she had come to like as time moved on.

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Yes, my blonde Mexican, I know,” she said returning the favor of undesirable nicknames.

Nate laughed good naturally, though his eyes still roamed over the girl to ensure she wasn't harmed. His hair was indeed blonde but he was mostly definitely not a Mexican. The name had been won over after a summer of working as a lifeguard, gaining a dark tan and sun-bleached hair.

Steven shook his head, pointing a very stern finger back toward Charlie's tent. “Change. Now,” he ordered, though the amused smirk on his face gave him away. Steven may have been the oldest of the group, at twenty-five years of age, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy good banter and follies of those around him. It did tend to mean he took responsibility for his friends from time to time.

Charlie sighed already thinking it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to get out of her dirty clothes. They may have been dry, but she could still smell the river clinging to them, the once wetness seeming to sap all the warmth from them as well. She felt an almost violent shiver run down her spine at the memory of the chill that had consumed her. “Already ahead of ya,” she said heading to the shelter to find clean and dry clothes.

When Charlie came back out of her tent, two more campers - Kristen and JT - were passing out plates for the lunch. It was a simple enough meal, fit for camping. Something about eating such plain foods outdoors made them so much better; a phenomenon few actually understood, but many appreciated. Charlie, being one among them, gratefully dug into the food. She hadn't quite realized how her eventful morning had drained her of energy.

“So where’d you run off to after breakfast?” Steven asked choosing that predictable moment when her mouth was too full to answer.

She choked on her food. She had hoped he would just forget it or chose to let it pass at least, but it seemed she would have no such luck since now everyone was looking at her expectantly. Swallowing her food and taking a deep swig of her drink, Charlie scrambled for some answer to give her friends. “Just on a hike,” she shrugged in answer. “There were a lot of things on my mind, just wanted to walk them out.” A shadow crossed her face, though she tried to keep a smile to keep her friends from noticing the change. There really was a lot on her mind, one of the reasons they had all dragged her out camping with them. It was an attempt to distract her from the thoughts that tended to drag her down. To her relief everyone seemed to accept this as a believable truth and allowed it to pass.

Well, almost everyone that was.

To her annoyance Nate didn't seem finished with her. “So the mind stuff caused you to fall in the water. _That_ makes more sense. Because we all know you wouldn’t ever _willingly_ jump into a freezing cold river.”

Charlie stuck her tongue out at him. The previous March they had all gone for a polar swim. The girls were told that they didn’t have to join in but Charlie, not wanting to be outdone, thought it was just water and couldn't be _that_ bad _._ She had been wrong and Nate always used any opportunity to tease her about it. “Ha ha ha,” she said deadpanned.

“The water must have been shallow,” Kristen said concern in her voice. “It would’ve been terrifying if you’d been stuck in deep water! We’d have never known what happened to you!” The worry wart hugged the nearest person to her, a slight frown on her face as she clung to the hapless boy as if he would disappear. JT took the abuse with calm endurance.

“You two are funny couple,” Charlie laughed. “You take so much from her, JT,” she said putting her hand to her chest in mock emotion. “You’re a good boyfriend.”

JT shrugged, his curly afro-like hair – a style much in contrast with his very pale skin – bounced some with the motion. “I try,” he said humbly.

The group laughed, an unknown tension breaking with the humor.

“So,” Steven said, “do we go wake the girls and do some hiking together? Or is Charlie too wiped out for that much adventure?”

“What is it, pick on Charlie day?” She frowned but only briefly before a determinedly impish look crept onto her face. “I sacred ‘em once already, I’ll go wake ‘em up.”

Quickly making her way to the tent she had crashed into before, Charlie poked her head in to take stock of the residence within.

Three girls lay on a deflating air mattress, seeming rather determined on not acknowledging the sun beyond the thin veils of their tent walls. There was a blonde; Abby, a brunette; Joy, and red head; Chandice.

Charlie snickered to herself as the image reminded her of the beginning of a really bad joke. “You guys already missed breakfast, at least come and eat and lunch!” She shouted, wakeing Chandice to a near panic.

Abby simply sat up and glared unappreciative at the person who dared disturb her sleep. “I missed what?”

“Breakfast,” Charlie said as if slowly breaking down a word for a toddler to understand.

Abby groaned and hurried from the tent to the make shift kitchen area they had set up, hoping to claim at least a little to eat before her fellow campers demanded she be active.

Charlie laughed as Joy, seeming undaunted by the rude awakening, emerged and joined the group at the fire. Somehow the girl managed to look as though she had been awake and about for hours, not like she had just been shocked into consciousness.

Chandice; however, refused to rise and laid back down, slipping once more to sleep.

Charlie threw up her hands with mock defeat. Addressing Nate she said loudly, “I think Chandice needs a kiss from a knight in shining armor!”

Eagerly leaping to his feet, Nate struck a bold pose. “Sweet! I haven’t had a good kiss in a long time,” he said playing along all too eagerly.

A yelp emitted from the tent and the whole camp laughed as Chandice flailed to get herself up and put together before any further actions could be taken.

This was what Charlie had come for; this simple, easy, fun having life that seemed to slip away amongst all the books and studies of college life. Those people that talked about the endless parties and good times obviously weren't the ones who were making grades.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Illusory had watched the human leave with a heaviness in her spark. She longed to go after the human, to talk to her, to have a companion of any kind for just a little bit longer. 'I'm in hiding,' she scolded herself, 'this is part of it.' Loneliness wasn't easy, even if it was a necessity.

With a heavy vent she settled back to remain as she had for so long already. Just sitting in silence, observing the passage of time. The very _boring_ passage of time.

'I wonder if she made it back to her 'camp',' the femme thought idly. 'What if she was lost? Or if she fell in the river again?' She completely dismissed the fact that she would have been able to hear if the human had fallen in the river again, and allowed her concerns and desires not to be alone anymore, to flaw her own logic. 'I will simply check. She need not even know...'

Transforming into her bipedal mode, the femme quickly and quietly trotted through the forest, seeking the human she had seen. It wasn't long before her sensors picked up a small collection of the creatures, along with a small fire. She crept as close as she dared before crouching down to observe. She had never had the opportunity to actually watch humans interacting. The need to prevent other Cybertronians on this planet from detecting her had been far more important, though it seemed less so currently.

Scanning the group of humans, Illusory felt a bit of excitement that she had found both males and females of the species present. Not to mention their communication – it was completely different hearing it for herself than it was to pick it up on the unreliable radio bandwidths or from what she had downloaded from their planet wide connection networks before she had landed on this planet.

She briefly wondered if any of them might be a pair, but quickly decided she didn't much care. Observation was where she would find her information, and currently there was plenty to observe.

Illusory chuckled at the interactions – the humans were definitely amusing to say the very least. She tempted the idea of sending her holoform into the camp to become part of the merriment, but she could really think of no good reason for a random human woman to join a group of humans out in this environment. In a more civilized situation, sure – that was easy enough, but here? She would have to have some pretty good explanation.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Things settled down once the entire group was awake and had eaten their fill. Conversations went from Charlie’s unexpected bath to what trails they wanted to hike that day.

Charlie would join the debate every once in a while but she found herself spacing out rather quickly. There were a lot of things on her mind; she hadn’t lied to Nate in the least in that claim. Her grades in some of her harder classes were not what they should have been. Her mother’s pressing expectations that she date. Finding financial stability and actually paying for her schooling. Even though much of it had already been paid for this semester and the coming one, she had little hopes that the miracle would happen a third time, and she still had a ways to go before she completed her education. It just seemed that life in general was hard; pressing down on her waiting for her to break beneath the pressure. Of course, there was something else that was taking up a good portion of her thoughts; the alien sitting in near complete solitude hiding under the guise of a wrecked car – but that one she would keep to herself.

Then the conclusion of the group brought her back from her wandering thoughts. They had decided on going to the Wind Caves for today. It was six miles all together; three miles up and three miles down, with plenty of views to be had.

Charlie wasn't exactly looking forward to the strenuous climb up, but she was sure that the trip down would leave her in better spirits and that made it worth it.

When the group reached the trail they saw others making their way down the trail. There were a lot of people that hiked this trek up to the Wind Caves around this time of year, before the snow set in. Before the eight friends chose partners so that they could keep track of each other. Cell phones were weak on the trail and in canyon so separation would be dangerous, especially if something bad happened. Kristen and JT went together as an obvious couple, Chandice and Abby struck out soon after and Joy stuck to Steven’s side.

“Just you and me, Chuck,” Nate said with a grin.

“You sure you won’t ditch?” She asked with a mirrored grin.

“I gotta make sure you don’t fall into any more rivers,” he said matter-of-factually with a slight puff to his chest.

“Not gonna let it go are ya?”

“Can birds swim?” The boy's grin turned to something far more devious.

Charlie chuckled, shook her head good naturedly and followed after Nate along the trail – the two committing to a leisure pace.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Illusory followed the group when they left the camp, finding the path that they had chosen rather pleasant. After as much time as she had spent sitting stationary – anything felt pleasant. She kept close to the humans, remaining mostly out of sight, though there was a point or two that she felt pretty bold and had ventured within sight range for the small creatures – mostly because she had wanted to get a better look at them, but also because she would forget that they didn't know she was there.

Seeing the number of humans traveling this trail, Illusory decided that she could chance her holoform. After all, it would be easier to observe on a more personal level if she could walk among the humans. She trailed behind the groups, wondering why they had paired off like that, but chose to remain quiet instead of alerting the group to her presence behind them.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Charlie tried hard not to let Nate how out of shape she was but she could not keep her breathing at a normal healthy rate. He was patient with her and slowed his pace so that she wasn’t over exerting herself. She sighed once she’d returned to a less than heaving state. “Sorry,” she said softly.

Nate shrugged. “Don’t be. Next time say, 'hey! Slow it down.'” He smiled at her.

She smiled back. “It’s the altitude,” she said, “still not used to the altitude.”

“You get used to it,” he said continuing to walk the trail.

“Not over night or one year even. You’ve been here nineteen!” She laughed.

“Then you need to exercise more,” he said laughing with her. “Swimming helps.”

“Swimming is your answer to everything,” Charlie grunted.

“Because swimming _is_ the answer to everything,” Nate said flashing his life guard badge that he kept with him at all times. “So says Senor Lifeguard,” he said in a Spanish accent.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Illusory followed the young humans for a while. However, as they continued, she began to pick up odd pings on her sensors. She couldn't yet figure if they were Autobot or Decepticon - but either way, she knew she didn't want to meet up with them. At the same time, she had this odd notion that if the bots found their way here, the human she had interacted with would be in danger, and she couldn't have that. So, deciding that she would remain close enough to guard the human, her holoform rushed to catch up with her, and the male that accompanied her. "Hello Charlie, fancy meeting you here." She smiled and waved as she approached.

Charlie turned and gaped for a second, but recovered quickly. “Hey...” her greeting stopped there thinking it would be strange to greet her by 'Illusory'. Most people around here wouldn’t understand that it was a name at all, and Charlie didn't want to be the one to put the alien under suspicion.

Nate stopped walking as well and waved. “Hey. A friend of yours, Chuck?”

Charlie glared at him out of the corner of her eye at the use of her nick name. “Yeah, I met her earlier. Before I fell into the water,” she said, attempting to be as vague as possible.

“Cool,” Nate said, extending a hand to the girl standing rather stiffly beside Charlie. “Nice to meet you, uh...” he turned to Charlie for help with a name, but she simply smiled at him. His hand went to the back of his head instead, trying to find a way that didn't sound awkward to greet the stranger.

“Illusory,” the femme offered, nodding her head slightly. “And you are?”

“Name’s Nate,” he said. “So do you go to the school or are you just up here for Labor Day?”

“She’s from out of the country,” Charlie interrupted. “Not too familiar with the holidays yet.” She hoped her explanation would stick and keep the alien from looking so much like a stranger.

“Yes,” Illusory agreed. “I am here for...holiday.” That sounded like something a human might say, right? “Very nice to make your acquaintance, Nate.”

Nate, much to his credit played along with her, “Nice to make yours as well,” he said making a small bow. Normally it would have looked out of place, but for some reason, he felt compelled with this odd girl.

“Mind if I follow you for a while? I have a suspicion some...people...I know are about, and I would blend in better if I were not out wondering alone.” She smiled as she spoke, but her yellow eyes flashed for a brief moment as she picked up another ping. She would have scanned for the source, but that would alert that 'bot to her presence for sure and the longer she went unnoticed, the less likely she would draw the 'bot closer.

Nate shrugged and said, “Sure. Three’s company too.” He was confused by the girl's weird request; he almost got the notion she was afraid of being found by someone, but who really ran around trying to hide from people these days?

Charlie smiled motioning Nate to go on ahead for a little while. “We’ll catch up,” she said, “I just need a minute to talk to Illusory.”

“Sure.” The boy shrugged, though a look of concern crossed his face.

After he had moved on far enough, Charlie turned back to the fake image of the alien. “So, about these friendlies,” she asked softly, “are they more friend or foe?”

“I cannot tell without scanning for spark signature; however, if I do that, they will be alerted to my presence. In truth, I cannot say that whichever faction they are, that I am all that interested in meeting up with them.” She shrugged slightly to dismiss the subject. “Where is it, exactly, that you are walking to by such a troublesome path?”

Charlie nodded at the explanation, and laughed at her question. “Well, this ‘troublesome path’ is for exercise. We humans need to strengthen the muscles of our body every once in a while,” she said with a grin. “Our destination is the Winds Caves. They are caves on the side of the mountain that the wind had eroded the loose, or relatively loose, rocks and dirt away. It’s more for the view from the top and the exercise on the way up,” she shrugged.

“Are there not more efficient means of exercise?” Illusory gave a small grimace at the thought of going so far out of their way for something that could be achieved at a much more convenient location. “And, far safer?”

Charlie thought about it for a moment. “Well, it’s part of the adventure of it. Hiking is a very popular past time. Yeah, you could stay inside all day and ride the stationary bike, or run on the tread mill, but it’s just not enough. People like to be out in the open. To be able to breathe.” She proved this by taking in a deep breath of pine scented air. “It makes me feel alive to be out here instead of cooped up inside.” She loved being in the mountains, it felt like freedom, and it showed in her actions.

“That,” Illusory mimicked Charlie's actions, “I can concur with.” After all, she had spent more than her fair share of time confined – in one way or another. “I do have to admit that this atmosphere is rather pleasant.”

“I like oxygen too,” Nate said over his shoulder.

Charlie gave him a look and he laughed, shaking his head and continuing on.

Illusory was confused. “Don't all beings of this planet 'like oxygen'?”

Charlie laughed. “Yeah. He was teasing you. He also made it sound like he heard what we were talking about, or at least some of it,” she said kind of concerned. She had hoped he wouldn’t pick up anything too quickly. Then again; he was an engineer, chances were he had picked up something the second the odd girl had joined them.

“Hmm,” Illusory didn't intend to really expose herself to any more humans, one was plenty – really too many if she listened to the whispers in her processor – but if this second human was picking up that she was not of the ordinary... “Is he prone to eavesdropping? That can lead to trouble.”

“But it can be fun,” he said now joining the girls. “If you wanted to be left alone all you had to do was ask, Chuck,” Nate said with a grin.

Charlie fumbled with her words, “No! That’s not what I...I mean...I didn’t know she was...“ Charlie groaned in defeat and ran ahead of Nate hoping Illusory would follow.

Illusory spared the human male a rather intrigued once over. “Why do you call her 'Chuck', when her designation is Charlie?”

Nate gave the girl a measuring look. “Designation? Where are you from? It’s just a nick name.” His mind kept turning every time this girl opened her mouth. There was something just not right about her, but he couldn't quite figure it out. Sighing, he hurried after Charlie. “Come on, we shouldn't get separated. Charlie, wait up!”

Illusory followed the two. “These humans are...odd,” she mumbled to herself.

Nate caught up to Charlie fairly quickly. She had never been an endurance runner, and her efforts hadn't really been to get away from them, just to put some distance from them and, what he was assuming to be, an embarrassing situation. “Hey. What’s going on with you?”

Charlie sat down on a rock a short distance away. Truth be told, she was a little miffed that he had heard anything of their conversation. She kind of wanted Illusory to be her own secret. Mostly because she didn’t want to put the alien in danger, but also because she thought it was fun to have such an outrageous secret to keep to herself. “I don’t know,” she mumbled to Nate as he came up beside her.

“Sure you know,” he said taking a seat next to her, “you just don’t want to say it.”

“Ok. So stop asking,” she said getting up from the rock to put some distance between them again.

Nate gave her the first serious look he had given her in a very long time. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked softly.

Charlie’s anger melted. After all, this was her friend and he cared about her. He didn't mean to invade upon her secret, he was just being himself. “I will be, soon,” she sighed. “Let’s just get to the top.” She gave him a smile, albeit a weak one.

Illusory kept her holoform close to the humans while her true form went as far from them as she could and still maintain the illusion. The pings were getting closer and she got the feeling – no matter who it was – she wasn't going to like it. “I will have to resume hiding,” she sighed to herself, transforming back into her damaged alt mode. She would not have full range with her holoform this way, but it would have to suffice. Close enough to help the human Charlie if need be, far enough to keep herself from being a beacon drawing the other 'bot to the human.

Charlie looked back at Illusory and saw worry on her face. “I gotta talk to Illusory for a minute,” she said to Nate. “No eavesdropping this time.”

He smiled at her. “Now that’s how you get rid of people!” He picked up his pace to give them plenty of air.

“Hey, you okay?” She asked once Nate was far enough away.

“I am functioning at an acceptable level. It is simply that 'someone' is getting closer, and I am concerned that if they pick up my spark, they may come after me. I have moved away to a safe distance and resumed hiding. They should be hard pressed to find me, but that also means that I will have to part with you once I have reached the end of my range.”

The girl nodded in understanding; sort of. She thought she understood what Illusory was talking about, but the alien said such strange things in such every-day ways, she wasn't entirely sure she did. She smiled though. It was touching that the robot had sought her out. Whether for her company or to protect her from said 'someone'. “Let me know before you flicker out. So I can tell Nate you walked back down,” she said.

“Flicker out? That is an interesting description.” She smiled and nodded. “I will indeed warn you before I must retreat.”

“You’ve got you’re formal lingo and I’ve got my imagination,” Charlie grinned. “We'll make a great odd couple.”

They continued walking and soon caught up to Nate.

He mock sighed in frustration, “I hate girl talk sometimes.”

“It wasn’t anything you needed to hear,” Charlie said smugly.

“Now who’s being mean?” He laughed back.

Illusory wasn't sure what 'girl talk' was. “What is...never mind.” Probably another human term she didn't quite understand. Perhaps it was the exchange between two femmes?

They walked for some distance before Illusory paused abruptly. “Charlie,” she called, “I think this is my stop.”

Nate stopped and watched Charlie’s shoulders slump.

“Oh. Ok. I guess we’ll see you around.”

“Well, why do you have to go back down?” Nate asked.

“She told me she had deadline to make,” Charlie said saving Illusory from having to try and explain her holoform’s disappearance.

“Yeah, been there done that,” he said shrugging. “See you later?” He asked.

Illusory smiled, but there was clear doubt in her eyes. “It has been a nice distraction,” she offered. Then waved before turning and walking to a place where she wasn't clearly seen and dissolved her holoform. “Back to solitude...” she groaned to herself even as she moved her alt form further into the cover of trees.

Charlie’s smile faded as she watched the girl go. She hated letting the alien walk away; she wasn't sure if it was because she liked the idea of having an alien buddy hanging around her, or because she knew beyond a doubt that Illusory didn't want to be alone.

Nate watched Charlie's deflating mood and nudged her. “Hey, why the long face?”

She was about to answer but shook her head blowing out the breath she had taken in. “She’s … alone.”

Nate was confused by this simple answer. “What do you mean?”

She thought her answer through before trying to explain. “She doesn’t have a lot of friends.”

He frowned a bit. “I’m sure we’ll see her around school. It’ll be okay.”

Charlie looked back over her shoulder to where she had last seen the woman/robot. “I hope so,” she whispered, though a part of her understood that maybe seeing her again wouldn't be a good thing.


	3. Event Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Three**

~

_Once we are on our feet, we think ourselves strong. We are up, not down, we are bold, not timid, we are strong, not weak...but sometimes you think you are on your feet, when you are not. The illusion of strength allows your will to be scattered to the winds and broken, and that is when you find out what the world truly wants of you._

~

 

He had gone far, struggling to recover something of his own sanity in the process. He felt rather sane, but sometimes his optics deceived him and he would see a 'bot that wasn't really there, or his scanners would ping with a ghost of a spark that was just as illusive. It was hard to recharge, he would always hear voices, footsteps of the scientists coming for him, even when he knew they weren't.

Unfortunately for him, those delusions did not remain purely in his processor.

The moment he picked up an honest, steady signature on his scanners, he had started running. He’d been running from them for almost an orn, trying to hide his signal as he went, but it seemed they had some way of following him despite his dampened spark energy.

He really wished they had at the very least left that part of him alone. What purpose did it serve to mess with his spark? It wasn't like changing his spark signature was going to change his allegiance. He was an Autobot, always had been, always would be. Only, now there was a strong chance that if he wasn't careful and he came upon any of his allies, they might shoot him before asking who he was. Maybe that was the point?

Whoever was chasing him was taking his time, he could tell by the simple fact he had been allowed to run so long. He had never known a Decepticon to pursue an enemy this long if they weren't toying with them.

This one was smart enough to wait for dark to attack him, when he was at his greatest disadvantage. Or so the pattern was going. Several joors of hard running, then he would pull back long enough for Scatterblade to think he could catch a moments rest, and then he would attack in the dark of this planets off cycle. This was quickly escalating to a rather complicated predicament; he was trying to move farther away from the Con when he pulled back, but Scatterblade was getting closer to a human town and individual humans if he was reading his scanner right. He was trying to keep a good distance from the humans, he didn’t need any more deaths weighing on his processor because of him.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Illusory felt an icy chill thrum through her frame. That signature she had picked up a little over an orn ago was coming closer. Whoever it was, was coming to the canyon; where there were still many humans coming and going every day to enjoy the scenery and 'hiking', as Charlie had called it.

'They'll be fine,' she assured herself. If the 'bot was an Autobot, the humans would be completely safe, if it was Decepticon...well, chances were that if there were no other 'bots around, the humans would still be safe.

Her nerves started getting to her when the pings grew more frequent, indicating the 'bot was coming dangerously close. It didn't matter how much she told herself that the chances of the 'bot starting anything near humans, or directly attacking them was slim, she couldn't help but think about how small Charlie was; how a simple thing like falling in the river had put her very life in danger. Humans were fragile and the thought of them being made yet another casualty of this Pit-born war was unacceptable to her.

In an attempt to calm herself, she decided it might be worth it to risk being discovered for a minor sensor sweep to pin the 'bot's precise location. She made sure to minimize her own signature as she sent out the inquiry, a simple scan to ascertain whether or not it was Autobot or Decepticon impeding on her sanctuary.

When the scan returned as Decepticon, Illusory's engine roared instinctively. The fact that it was heading for the humans did nothing to calm her. “Slag you, 'Con!” She roared to herself as she took on her bipedal form and rushed in the direction of the 'bot. If she intercepted the Decepticon, she could probably get it to follow her away from the humans. After that...well, she'd figure that out later.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

A black Bonneville came speeding down the twisting canyon road, taking the turns at paces that would have been considered lethal to a human, and when no native vehicles were in sight, the car would switch to that of a bipedal mech and run through the trees. Most of the time, it meant running uphill, which had sometimes proved to be difficult for the overtaxed mech. The trees were pretty sturdy and did well as climbing aids, but sometimes they grew too thick and he had to find ways around them. Once he reached the top of a hill, he would try to scale down the other side without leaving a glaring path to follow him by, but he was a front-liner, not a scout. Finesse was definitely not his strong point.

Scatterblade checked his position again and cursed. He was tired of having his navigation system knocked out. He was tired of running blind half the time. He was tired of feeling so out of his element. He was just plain tired; but he couldn't rest. Not now. Maybe not ever. If this Decepticon following him had his way, it seemed he would toy with Scatterblade until he fell offline.

'Wouldn't that be the way of it,' he grumbled to himself. 'Dragged back to the Pit while in forced recharge...yeah, that sounds heroic...'

With a heavy and weary venting, he turned to the west – adjusting himself away from the native area's of rural settlement, and continued to run. The Decepticon following him was gaining, probably sensing that the front-liner was reaching his limits.

He kept one sensor on his pursuer and both optics in front of him. What he didn’t perceive were the rocks in front of him. If the Decepticon was within audio range, he would know for sure where his prey was as the front-liner gracelessly tumbled down the side of the hill.

Cursing himself, Scatterblade put extra effort into making his rushed retreat quiet, focusing on getting to the top of the next ridge. He had to put a lot of distance between himself and this place; surely the Decepticon would be looking for him to stumble like that again and then there wouldn't be anything left for Scatterblade to do but fight and hope that he could win.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

It didn't take long for Illusory to spot the dark figure slipping over the edge of another hill. Quickly she slid through the trees to find a good place to get a drop on him. She was thankful that this 'bot was larger than her and had to struggle to get through the forest while she could easily maneuver the terrain. It meant that she was more in her element, and he was at a great disadvantage; a plan started coming together in her processor that sounded a lot less suicidal and a lot more logical.

She came around the hill in time to watch the mech start his ascent of the next. If she moved quickly, she could catch him as he came down the other side.

Pausing for a moment she considered her options: she had a very limited number of weapons at her disposal, and she wasn't trained in hand to hand combat at all. What she had going for her was her smaller size and the dense terrain which seemed to conclude with only one option that would offer her any chance at gaining some form of head start once the 'bot started chasing her; her blaster. She pulled it, and shot at the large mech – she could clearly see now that he was a mech, as she had suspected, and he was built with heavy armor. “Slag,” she cursed softly. One thing the war had taught her was to be able to recognize what kind of soldier she was facing off with; this one was a front-liner for sure. If he caught her, she was doomed.

To say that he was surprised by the shot was to understate the truth of the situation. It had seemingly come out of nowhere.

The shot grazed him, sending him back to the ground on the uneven hillside as he maneuvered to avoid serious damage. His armor hardly showed where the blast had hit and he was back on his feet in moments, searching for the culprit.

Had the Decepticon somehow gotten in front of him? No, his sensor still clearly showed the mech was still quite a distance behind him; in no rush to gather his prize and return home, apparently.

“Where the Pit...?” He scanned the area for another spark signature and was surprised to find one so close. It was beyond his optic range, but he could clearly detect it on his limited sensors.

Illusory held her position until she was sure the mech had locked onto her signature, then she fired again, to disrupt him long enough for her to get a head start. 'This is the second most foolish thing you have done in the past several breems, Illusory,' she lectured herself as she weaved through the trees. Where was she going to lead the 'Con? 'Away from the humans...' deeper into the wilderness where she was likely to get herself trapped. With a heavy shunt of air that disturbed much of the foliage around her, she pushed on. There was no one here to help her, no allies, no one that even knew she was here. Indeed, she was being foolish.

Scatterblade growled in frustration, taking the second shot instead of trying to dodge and ending up falling again; the blast was weak, likely not fully charged, and not really meant to penetrate armor. It still hurt, but it wouldn't damage him too badly. Whatever this second 'bots game was, it wasn't to take him out.

He felt a touch of curiosity coming over him as the signature turned and moved away from him, but that slipped his processor as quickly as it took him to realize that his constant pursuer was catching up. “Slag,” he hissed, running through the trees away from the new 'bot.

Checking the direction he was heading in, he cursed again. The Decepticon had been persistent, and rather proficient at driving him mostly in the same direction; West. The problem with going West was trying to avoid human civilizations; the further he went, the more of them appeared and there was yet another city nearby. Another problem was that second signature, which he still couldn’t identify as ‘Con or Autobot, heading east. With his luck the way it had been, it was actually going around to cut him off somewhere just outside of his sensor range. Deciding he had to take all of this into his own hands, he turned south. Maybe he could draw the two away from innocents.

When the mech turned South, Illusory came to a halt. "What?" She couldn't fathom why a Decepticon wouldn't give chase considering she was obviously alone. Wasn't that their signature move? Chase down the individuals? South was good though, because there was little in that direction to worry about. Maybe not the wilderness she had been headed for, but it was good enough. Deciding she had to figure out what this mech was up to, she followed.

Scatterblade was sure that he could keep going for a while longer, but he was more sure that the Decepticon that had been lazily chasing him across the planet had more stamina than he did. The second signature had turned to follow him instead of continuing East, so now he was looking at facing two enemies instead of one. His only hope was to find a place to hide, hopefully somewhere that would help to diminish their chances of picking up on his signature – or whatever it was that they were using to track him.

His plans were thrown to waste when seemingly out of nowhere, the Decepticon that had been chasing after him attacked him from behind.

Scatterblade rolled with the blow back onto his feet and immediately unsheathed his energon swords.

The Con merely laughed, “Haven’t you learned anything?” He demanded. “You’re coming back, and it doesn’t matter in how many pieces.” The mech drew his weapons as well; a nasty looking serrated sword extending from one arm and a blaster held confidently in his other hand.

With a flash of amusement in his bright blue optics, Scatterblade squared himself to face off with the Decepticon. “Nope. You’re the one who hasn’t learned anything,” he triggered a missile from his shoulder cannon, aimed for the Decepticon. “I don't give up!”

The mech was thrown by the attack, in all the times he had stirred up the escaped experiment, he had never once used the cannon; he had thought it still deactivated. While the Decepticon attempted to recover from the blast, Scatterblade rushed forward, leaped and threw a well placed kick into the mech's midsection. Then twisted back, he brought his swords around to strike.

The Decepticon was able to fend off one blade, but the second gouged deep into the blaster he used as a shield against the weapon. The ballistic weapon was no match for the high amounts of energy produced by the front-liner's sword and gave into the force, but still managed to save its wielder from harm.

Now that they were more closely matched in weapons, the Decepticon seemed to think things were not as in his favor as they had been. He struck Scatterblade with enough force to knock the mech from his feet. Reacting more than thinking, the front-liner was able to roll backwards with the blow so that it only caused minimal damage to his thick black armor.

Unfortunately, the damage done by the other 'bot's blasts had weakened his armor, allowing the weapon to penetrate deeper than it should have. Scatterblade hissed at the sting as the jagged edges tore through his plating. He'd had worse damage in his life, but mixed with his exhaustion, and the fact he still had quite a bit of backlash from the experiments, it was enough to put him off his game.

Illusory came upon the scene and had to duck behind some of the larger trees to avoid some of the concussion and shrapnel from their weapons. She immediately dampened her own spark signal, not wanting two Decepticons coming after her instead of just one. 'Maybe I will be lucky, and they will destroy each other,' she thought hopefully.

Peering around her current hiding place, she watched the two mechs go at each other. One was the black armored front-liner she had tried to get to chase her before, the other was very obviously a seeker of some make or model she couldn't quite make out. Either way, they were both warrior class mechs far beyond her own fighting skills.

The fight was fascinating to watch; the front-liner fighting with amazing amounts of strength and very violent, straight forward attacks, while the seeker was more lithe, pulling underhanded maneuvers and practically dancing around the front-liner's blades.

'Wait,' she thought as she watched them, 'did that mech have blue optics?' Since when had any Decepticon willingly carried _blue_ optics? This was definitely something she needed to see out.

She checked once more, just to be sure that both sparks read as Decepticon, which they did, and settled back to a more secluded position where, if she so chose, she could aid the blue opticed mech. If for no other reason than because he had to have some interesting story to tell.

Looking for an advantage, anything to help him and his waning energy, Scatterblade laughed while he struck the mech again and again. “You’ve got to keep up, rust bucket,” he said jumping around the mech, slicing him across his sensitive wings.

Growling with pain and rage, the Decepticon swung around violently at the mech’s head.

Scatterblade ducked below the swing and sliced at the Decepticon's legs. The time for fair fighting was long past.

“Stop resisting,” the serrated sword came swinging again. The front-liner blocked it, throwing his body from beneath the seeker and quickly scrambling back to his feet. “You were making such progress. You were going to be such a perfect soldier...” the Decepticon taunted.

Scatterblade was an excellent warrior as it was; he didn't need some Decepticon scientist fragging with him to make him 'perfect'. The comment that their torturous experiments could make him better angered him deeply. Outwardly, he showed no sign of his annoyance. That would only let the Decepticon know he had gotten to him. “Sorry, 'Con...were you talking? I wasn't paying attention.”

The Decepticon roared in anger. Being ignored by his superiors was one thing; it was even common among the ranks, but his subordinates and enemies should always listen. He swung his sword again, widely misdirected by his mounting rage.

Taking the opportunity, Scatterblade sliced through the seeker's arm using both swords, followed quickly by a thrust straight to the Decepticon's spark chamber. Twisting his sword inside the mech, the front-liner heard the familiar sound of a punctured spark. Yanking the weapon from its devastating place he released the Decepticon, leaving the seeker to fall to the ground ungracefully.

“I’m not some toy for you to play with,” he growled, kicking the now offlined mech for good measure.

“What is your game, 'Con?”

Scatterblade spun to face the speaker; the other 'bot that had shot at him earlier. Finally spotting this new opponent, he paused. “You're...you're a femme?” Since when had there been a femme in the Decepticon ranks? Come to think of it, he couldn't recall the last time he had actually seen a femme.

The shock wore off however when he saw the blaster pointed at him. Sure, the first time she had shot him it had been weak and barely more than an annoyance, but at closer range there was a much greater chance for damage to be caused. Then it occurred to him. She had called him a 'Con. “I ain't no 'Con.” He vented in frustration. Curse those scientists and their need to manipulate everything.

“Your spark says otherwise.” Illusory allowed her blaster to drop to her side, but still held it ready to use if she needed. “And, yes, I am a femme,” she added with some snark.

He grunted. “Yeah, about that…you know the ‘Cons like to play Primus, right?” he said in a flat tone.

“'Con's also like to play games,” she said a bit nervously. Was this a trick? His optics were blue...did that mean he had defected? Or was he trying to appear to be an Autobot for whatever reason? She had known a few double agents in her time and a few defected 'bots also. Some kept their original optic color to confuse their now enemies.

“That they do,” he mumbled with a tinge of bitterness. He lowered his weapons, feeling much less on edge than he had a moment before. She obviously wasn’t a Decepticon and he was quickly losing whatever energy he had left. “My designation is Scatterblade, I’m an Autobot. I was captured by the Decepticons when they attacked my team. I ended up here as a research experiment to create some 'perfect soldier', but I escaped.” The mech left the explanation to stand on its own. He really didn't want to relate the horrible events he survived if he didn't have to. The basics were enough.

“You're an Autobot...” she sounded doubtful. It took her a little while of considering the mech, and the damage he had done to the other Decepticon before she concluded that there had to be at least some truth to his story. “Illusory,” she introduced herself, releasing the dampening on her spark, revealing herself fully as a Neutral. “I do not have any care for your war, but if you have any ill intent toward the humans, I will take action against you.” She put her blaster back in its place on her leg, though her hand didn't travel too far from it. “They are not involved.”

“I have no ill intent toward the humans, I am Autobot,” he said, somewhat exasperated. “‘Cons have a mean way of making you help even if you don’t want to once they get their claws in you, that's why I don't register as my faction. Trust me I’ve tried every way I know how to get my signature back; unfortunately, I don’t know a lot.”

“Hn,” Illusory relaxed. His explanation may not have been perfect, but in her experience, the perfect explanations were almost always lies. “I suppose...was he the only one hunting you?” She spread her scans as far out as she could, but got no further signature. “I have been in hiding myself and would really rather not be exposed any further.” She vented softly.

Scatterblade shrugged, “I was playing shell for brains so they only sent one after me in the first place.” Paranoia made him scan as best he could for himself for more signatures.

Illusory considered their surroundings before turning away from the mech. “I should get back to hiding. There are others on this planet, if you look, I'm sure you can find them. It was pleasant meeting you Scatterblade. I hope you live through your war.” With that she began to walk away, though she couldn't help but to feel a little bit of regret in her spark.

Scatterblade had been the first Cybertronian she had seen in a very long time. He was rather friendly and she was lonely, would it really hurt to keep him company for a while? She could have rested here just as well as where she had been, but she hoped – faintly – that if she went back she might see the human Charlie again, though it had already been many cycles of this planet's light and dark periods and she had yet to make another appearance. A part of her had really enjoyed interacting with the human, and really wished to do so again.

The further from Scatterblade she walked, the more her frame sagged. She had never done well on her own for long periods of time, she really didn't want to walk away from the first Cybertronian life form she had come across since her panicked escape from Cybertron.

“Wait up,” the mech called from behind her.

Illusory stopped, a faint smile crossing her face, and a silent 'thank you' echoing through her processor.

“My communications systems aren’t up to par. They tend to take away your free phone calls when you're in lockup. I could stay with you until I run into someone from my faction or they run into me.”

Logically, she wanted to tell the mech 'no', his presence was likely to draw attention, but at the same time, she overwhelmingly craved companionship. “I do not promise anyone will find you out here, but...I would appreciate someone to talk with.” They shared a moment of acceptance of each other's predicaments before Illusory lead him through the trees back to where she had been before.

“Have you seen any of the humans?” Scatterblade asked as they pushed through the foliage. “I’ve spent a lot of time since I got out of that 'Con lab searching the net. Humans are very…unique.”

“I have interacted with one, in particular, and have had the opportunity to observe a few others just within the past few orns. It is really one of the reasons why I chased after you – when I thought you were a Decepticon. I was concerned that the humans might become a casualty. As far as the internet goes, I was only able to glean scant amounts of information, mostly language, before I crash landed on this planet. Out here, the internet is not very accessible without boosters, and I do not wish to draw attention to myself, as I previously stated.” They reached the place where she had spent so many cycles on this planet, most of it in some state of recharge to save her from monotony.

“I would love to get to know some humans. I’ve almost mastered the way they speak. Even picked up a majority of their languages,” he laughed. “One thing I love about humans is their imagination. It seems limitless. The books and movies that they have are fascinating.”

Illusory was finding that she was very quickly coming to like this mech. “Could I trouble you to share your information with me? I find these humans quite intriguing myself.” She settled down into her custom spot, though did not take on her alt form. “I will be fair with you, I chose to come back here in hopes that the human I interacted with previously might return again. The femme was very friendly, and seemed to know nothing of our race.” That brought up another question. “Do...do the humans know about us? I have no idea how our races have come together.”

Scatterblade settled down across from the femme leaning against a tree. His systems ached for the rest after so long on the run. “So far I’ve only heard whisperings. Well, more like muttering and complaining. There are apparently some humans that know, but they're trying to keep it under wraps. The general population has no idea.”

“Ah, then it should be no great danger for this one femme to know of me...of us.” She stretched, then took on her alt mode. “It would be less suspicious if you took on a vehicle form – the more damage the better.”

The mech vented in disappointment. “I kinda liked my alt mode the way it was, but it’s hiding.” He shifted making it look like he was missing a tire, a door, both fenders smashed and a cracked windshield for the final touch.

Illusory laughed a little at the mech's disappointment. “You can resume it any time you like, so long as you are not in hiding with me.”

“This is a remarkable place. All this organic life is…beautiful. I don’t think I’ve seen a planet of its like before.”

“It is very lovely. I have been to a few other organic planets on jobs, but never one quite so diverse as this one.”

“I wonder what the city’s like. Maybe I’ll go see some time. I’ll tell you all about it,” the mech mused.

“You do that,” she answered back somewhat honestly, somewhat teasingly.

The two Cybertronians spent the next orn learning about one another; Scatterblade relieved to have someone to talk to that wasn't interested in manipulating his spark, processor, and function; Illusory slowly giving into the thought that she could, and would, trust someone that wasn't Neutral – someone that had little idea of what she had done in her past, and that really didn't care because she was here now.

It was a quick friendship born of need and desperation, that both 'bots knew they would cling to for as long as they could.


	4. Event Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Four**

~

_Driven by what our minds want, we think ourselves following the illusion of wisdom from within ourselves. However; that drive will scatter us farther and farther from what it is our hearts truly crave. Wisdom is never driven._

~

 

Charlie hadn’t been able to visit Illusory after her camping trip. School had kept her fully occupied and, no matter how much she wanted to, there simply wasn't a moment to spare for the alien hiding in the forest in the canyon. However, as the last day of classes was coming to a close, she found herself watching the clock instead of her instructors. Not that they were doing anything of great interest anyway.

She wanted to go find Illusory again and apologize for not coming to see her. Hopefully the strange car-alien would still be there and, she really hoped, she wouldn't be angry. Did she even understand the concept of time? Of visiting? Maybe she had offended the alien by not returning quickly.

Charlie glanced around the room hoping to find something that could distract her from the ten minutes left in class and her rampant thoughts.

Nate had fallen ill over the last few days and hadn't been there to keep her engaged in conversation. Charlie had checked up on the young man a few times, the flu had not been kind to him, but overall she had not seen him much. He was the only one she really knew who had this class so she was left with no companionable amusements for the time being. So she sat. Waiting and praying for the clock to tick faster. Just a little bit faster. Was that really so much to ask?

When the bell finally toned the end of the day, Charlie hurried from class trying hard not to shove people on her way. She hurried to her dorm at a pace just shy of running. Once inside she was changing her shoes for something a little more appropriate for hiking around the wilderness and was back out the door almost as quickly as she had come in.

It would take a good hour to walk to the camping site and then another half hour to find Illusory, assuming the car-robot was still in the same area.

 

-x-::-:-:-::-x-::-:-:-::-x-

 

Illusory had ventured out often in her holographic form, investigating the area around them. She even ventured as far as where the humans had stayed the one time she had been there, only to find the place empty. She was disappointed, but did not know what more she would have expected. The humans didn't tend to live out here, only stopped in for short visits. Still, she hoped to see the human femme again.

Scatterblade had taken a little over an orn of recharge to recover enough from his hard won escape. Illusory had been able to patch some of his minor injuries; his internal repair systems would take care of what she couldn't, so the mech was in a reasonable state of processor and body.

The femme enjoyed talking to him, the mech was interesting if nothing else. Though, to herself, she admitted that she was concerned he would leave at any moment to seek out his comrades. Not that she would blame him for it, but she selfishly hoped he wouldn't. Solitude may have fit her job description just fine but it didn't fit her very well at all.

When she was alone she had time to think about the things that were less than favorable memories and other things that crossed her processor.

'Maybe I should go to the human town,' she thought wistfully. 'I am sure I could find a way to remain hidden there...though it would not be nearly as efficient.'

Scatterblade had gone to visit the town several times now, almost as if on schedule, and related his stories to her when he returned. Sometimes he would be gone for several cycles of the planet's light and dark times. He invited the femme to join him every time he went, but she always turned down his offer. After all, she didn't want to be there if he found someone from his faction, or worse, a Decepticon.

Currently he was sitting in his feigned damaged state just enjoying the cool breeze that blew over his interior through his rolled down windows. It was refreshing in a way he simply couldn't compare to anything else.

Illusory sat in her alt mode, just thinking to herself. She knew Scatterblade would be venturing away again soon, she was honestly considering venturing into the town with him this time. Perhaps to stay. Surely a civilized community would be better than constant isolation, even if it meant risking higher chances of crossing another 'bot she would far rather avoid.

“Scatterblade,” she asked once she thought she knew where her desires lay, “what do you presume the chances of remaining well hidden while within the proximity of a human dominion would be? On a more permanent basis...”

Scatterblade thought about this for a little bit. Honestly, the femme's question was surprising to him. She had denied going with him into town so many times he had started to believe she would never go. Yet, now she was asking about remaining within the proximity of it? Perhaps there was hope yet. “Actually in the town, or on the outskirts?”

“Within,” she clarified. “I am beginning to consider the opportunities available to hiding within the town its self.” What she didn't say was that she was bored out of her processor, and chatting only cured that for so long. Not to mention the loneliness when the mech was gone.

“If we posed as civilian vehicles, I think it might work really well,” he grinned to himself. The femme was actually starting to give in. Then he thought of what the femme had said about a certain human she had been very interested in. “If you could find Charlie again,” he tempted, “you could probably pose as her car.”

Illusory couldn't resist the temptation. Being that close to a human that she could openly converse with just sounded too good. That way, if Scatterblade did move on, she wouldn't be entirely alone. “I think, perhaps, I would like to do that.”

She reached into her original scan program of the car she had mimicked and drew forward the true image, repairing the faked damages she had taken on. “I...only I do not know where to locate Charlie. Are there many humans in the town?”

Scatterblade searched the last data he had tucked away when he had been able to connect with the human internet system. He thought having information about the locals territories, and the beings that lived there, would be handy. “There are one hundred twenty-five thousand, four hundred forty-two people residing in Logan; according the last census. Though the number would be affected year to year due to the students.” A town with constantly changing population seemed almost ideal for hiding in. “Long story short, a lot of people. My best guess would be to check the school.”

She sank slightly on her axles at the number. “I suppose that one can never find anything if one does not start somewhere.” Her repairs were complete, her sporty image now immaculate. “You will accompany me?”

“Of course,” he said fixing his image as well. “I can show you around.” He stood, happy for the opportunity to stretch his legs. Once they reached anywhere near the humans, walking would be out of the question. “Shall we work our way to the road?”

Illusory followed suit, standing up and stretching hard. It always felt so good to be in her bipedal mode, especially after so much inactivity in her alt mode. Her joints creaked and tension cables snapped from disuse, but when she was done she felt much better. “Yes,” she agreed with enthusiasm.

Together the two headed through the thick trees. Illusory had no problems slipping through most of the wooded area, but Scatterblade was forced to find his way around some areas. Sometimes being built for the duties of a front-liner left something to be desired. Though, in a battle at least he knew his armor would hold, whereas Illusory's slim and flexible armor was not designed for battle of any type.

“I think I have a way of finding your Charlie,” Scatterblade said as he worked his way around another tight clump of trees.

"How?" Hadn't he just said there were many humans in this 'town'?

The mech considered revealing just how he generally came across the largest amount of information on the humans he had, yet something stopped him. True, he had become rather comfortable with the femme; she was nice and kind of spark, but did he trust her with his deepest secrets? No; it wasn't a matter of trust he realized, he was too afraid. He didn't want her to think of him as anything but a mech, a friend, someone safe to be around. Most definitely not a Decepticon science experiment.

“I can hack the computers at the college and get some info on what her classes are at the school.”

Illusory got the sense there were things that she wasn't being told; something she did not like as a rule, but that she was entirely used to. No one willingly gave up the best information. She had become rather proficient at digging out all of those things eventually for her own personal gain. It was her livelihood. “Are you completely certain that she will be at this 'school'? Do all humans go there?” Maybe even 'friends' weren't safe from her war-engrained skills.

“Most human’s her age are advancing their knowledge at schools like this. If she had come from the town, chances are pretty high she might be at the school.” The mech did his best to ignore the sudden appearance of scrutiny in the femme's optics. His spark skipped a pulse thinking that she had caught onto something he hadn't willingly revealed.

“That seems reasonable. Very well, when we get to the town, I would appreciate it if you would 'get some info'.” Illusory smiled a little, her yellow optics gleamed slightly. The prospect of acquiring information was never anything less than thrilling to her. It had almost become an addiction over the vorns. She suspected it was a side effect of her modifications, but without an official medical scan, there was no way to be sure.

Scatterblade nodded and shifted to his alt mode, his holoform taking a few moments to manifest as he headed toward the city with femme following behind him.

Illusory darkened her windows instead of creating her holoform, thinking she would rather save her energy for when there were actual humans to interact with. She loved driving and fully regretted every minute she had not spent on the roads the humans had so conveniently made.

The ride was refreshing and only took a few breems to reach the mouth of the canyon. Scatterblade saw a human girl walking down the highway in the direction they had come from. He paid her no mind. Many humans roamed the area and he had seen several different ones on his trips to and from town.

Illusory slammed on her breaks at the sight of the human. “Charlie!” She called out to the woman, stunned to find her here.

Scatterblade hit his own breaks and pulled a quick U-turn, pulling off to the side of the road where he could easily observe what was going on.

Charlie stumbled in shock at having her name fill the air. She tripped and nearly fell to the ground as she spun to look at who had called for her. Taking a moment to steady herself and laughing at her clumsiness, she looked up to see a rather sporty looking a white car. A very familiar, sporty, white car.

“Illusory?” She asked, then looked around for other people that might be watching. The only life she saw were the people much further down the road near the park and…she did a double take at the black car sitting on the edge of the road. This was an odd spot for someone to park.

Illusory opened her passenger side door invitingly. “We were just coming to seek you out. I believe I have had enough of solitude.” She held back her desire to pose as the femme's personal car for the moment. First she would see how the human reacted to the idea of her emerging from her self imposed isolation to find her.

Charlie laughed, “I was actually coming to find you.” She sobered a little as she got into the car, “I felt bad that I didn't even say 'goodbye' before.”

Resuming her drive, Illusory slowed near Scatterblade, waiting for him to take the lead again. “I apologize for that, I was surprised to see the human so near by. This is Charlie,” she decreased the tinting on her windows so that Charlie could be easily seen inside. “Charlie, this is Scatterblade, he was going to assist me in locating you.”

Scatterblade rolled down his window, his holoform that of a young man around Charlie’s age, waved to her.

She took in the man with long black hair, lightly tanned skin and impossibly blue eyes that didn't fit well with his Native American face. Something was strange about him, but Charlie had to admit that he was a very attractive man. Mentally reminding herself to close her mouth, she smiled and waved back. “Is he like you?”

“He is.” Illusory had momentarily pondered informing Charlie that Scatterblade was of the Autobot faction, but decided there would be far too much explaining to follow for that at the moment. “I have found him to be rather pleasant,” she assured the human.

Charlie chuckled, “Rather pleasant, huh?”

Scatterblade grinned a winning smile for the human. “Yeah, I’ve been keeping her company. She kept talking about you though, so I thought I’d help her find you.”

“Fun. Now, I have two stalkers,” she laughed.

“If you are opposed to our company, we can move on.” Illusory kept her voice neutral; as if it didn't matter to her either way, though she feared the human would say 'yes' and she would be forced to actually move on. She hadn't realized how much she had invested herself into the thought of staying near the human.

“No,” Charlie said hurrying to revise what she had said, this robot was awfully literal. “I was just being sarcastic. We humans tend to say things sometimes that aren’t really what we mean.”

“Hn, I have known many to say things they do not mean, you do not seem to fit the profile of such a creature,” Illusory almost growled, though not in hostility. “I apologize for my misunderstanding. I will attempt to keep 'sarcasm' in mind.”

Scatterblade's holoform leaned out the window, acting as if he were to tell Charlie a secret. “I think you might want to leave the sarcasm out,” he advised. “Illusory is a little...unrhetorical, if you know what I mean.”

“Hey!” Illusory's engine grumbled with indignation. “Just because I do not see the point in saying things that are not as you mean does not mean I do not understand.”

“Okay, okay!” The mech's holoform held up his hands in a placating way. “Didn't mean anything by it.” He laughed a little more at the femme's expense before leaning back into his alt mode. “Okay, so, we found your human. Now what?”

“There isn’t a lot to see in Logan,” Charlie shrugged.

“How is there not a lot to see?” Illusory asked, still a little miffed at Scatterblade's previous slight. “There is nothing _but_ things to see.”

“I think Illusory wanted to know more about humans,” the mech explained. “Have you been able to access the internet, Illusory?”

The femme made an attempt and found a weak signal. “Yes, there is a data link available – though it seems unstable.” She made a note to herself to calibrate her systems to better handle the undeveloped human data streams as she started searching randomly for more information. Soon her focus turned a little too deeply to downloading. “There is so much...”

Charlie placed a hand on the dashboard in concern for the odd alien. Maybe it was just her, but the two seemed so very different. She was pretty sure that had she met Scatterblade in his human image, she wouldn't have realized he wasn't human unless he told her so; whereas Illusory was a little too alien to be a normal human. “Don’t try and take it in all at once. We can get you closer to the school, the signal will be stronger there. Then you can take your time to absorb it. I’m not sure how much you can learn at one time.”

The touch brought Illusory's attention back to the here and now. “I can download more information in a klik than your internet can produce in a joor.” It was true on many different accounts; the Cybertronian nature allowed them as a species to be able to download and apply information quickly, but her processor had been upgraded – by means not standard to Cybertronian medical procedures (or legal for that matter) – to download and store information much faster than even the quickest 'bot. It had a nasty side effect of consuming her focus, though she counted that as quite small and well worth the sacrifice for the benefits it gave her.

“There’s a saying my mom uses all the time,” Charlie said. “'Line upon line. Precept upon precept. Here a little, there a little.’ ‘Everything has it’s season.’ Basically, take your time. This world moves too fast as it is.” A sad note crept into her voice as she spoke.

Illusory did not reply to the quotes, though she did think the sayings were odd coming from a race that was so short lived. “Where is this school?” She asked instead, deciding that if the signal was stronger there, she could obtain far more information much quicker.

“Back in town, not very far,” Charlie said thankful for the change in subject. She happily gave directions for the femme to follow.

Illusory found herself slowing to examine the buildings they passed as she followed the directions. Many of the structures were very plain; only built to facilitate whatever purpose they were there for, but others were lovely in their design. She could even imagine seeing similar traits to the Cybertronian Golden Age in some of them.

“This is a...pleasant town.” She took note of the humans walking around and the other vehicles parked, or driving. Instinctively she dampened her spark signature, not wanting to draw any attention to herself should any of those vehicles be another 'bot hiding on this planet.

“It’s safe. And it's quiet during the summer. Most the cops have to do is pull people over for speeding.”

Scatterblade could identify with that, already having experienced a narrow miss with the human law enforcement. They were rather strict about the 'speed limit' here.

Illusory could not resist the urge to research these 'cops' Charlie had now mentioned twice. Her focus quickly being more drawn to the information she was finding than to her driving. As such, she bumped the curb a little before she could correct her direction. “This human law enforcement – it appears that it has many benefits, yet humans still seem to greatly dislike it? Why is that?”

The girl thought about this for a few minutes. It was a very good question with no real good answer. “I think it’s because some people like to think they know better. Other people just don’t care. Good thing is the other people are very few.”

“I see.” Illusory found a place within the lot of cars Charlie had indicated as the place they were going and stopped. “What is your opinion of them?”

“My dad wanted to join. My uncle too,” she said with a smile that didn’t last very long. “They didn’t get their wish though.”

“Why’s that?” Scatterblade asked pulling up next to Illusory.

“My dad got sick when he was a teenager. Lost hearing in his left ear. My uncle lost sight in one eye during a paintball accident,” she tried to not let it make her sad. “He decided his life wasn’t worth living without his chance at it.”

“Ok, time for a more happy topic,” Scatterblade suggested.

Illusory made a confirming sound, but her processor simply wouldn't allow her to abandon the information she had finally located. So, giving into the temptation, she took a breem to download with her full attention, ignoring the sounds her systems made in the process. She would sort though it all later, she just needed to obtain it now.

Scatterblade’s holoform gave a curious glance toward Illusory. He had heard the femme make a few strange noises, but this was beyond anything he thought would be 'normal', even for her. “Hey, Charlie, are you done with your school work for today?” He asked, trying to ignore the sounds and hoping that Illusory was ok.

Charlie looked at him as if he’d spoken in another language, then what he said registered in her somewhat sluggish mind. It was such a simple and _normal_ question for him to ask, definitely not something she would expect from an alien. “Oh shoot! I have class. I’ll be back,” she said jumping out of the car and running to her dorm room.

The disturbance was hardly noticed by Illusory, the information was far too demanding of her time. Only a few more kliks and she would have everything she could locate concerning law enforcement...then she could read through and sort at her leisure.

“Illusory…” Scatterblade asked trying to get her attention. He sat back in his seat and stared at her alt form. What was going on that she wouldn’t be able to talk to him? He shrugged it off and let his holoform act as if it was asleep while he kept an eye on her.

When she had finally acquired all she deemed needed, Illusory's systems settled down, some cooling systems kicking on to remove excess heat created by her overcharged processor. She immediately noticed the lack of occupant and sent out a scan to locate her.

“I missed something,” she stated rather flatly. Most of the time, her focus issue didn't bother her, but times like these it did. Not that she would change it for anything, she found her 'talent' far too useful.

“She had to go learn more,” Scatterbalde said his holoform’s eyes still closed. “What made you go completely unresponsive just now?”

“Rapid download,” she said offhandedly. There was very slim chance the mech would think of the illegal upgrade, and even less likely that he would connect it to her at the moment. For all she knew, he didn't even know of the procedure in the first place; a lot of Cybertronians didn't. “The human law enforcement system has many failings, though the base structure is pretty sound. Some of their laws...make _no_ sense...”

“Like what?” He asked fully engaging the holoform again, the man sitting in a listening stance.

“To go by state: in Alabama it is illegal to play dominoes on Sunday. It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death.

“In Alaska, it is illegal to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose in the town of Fairbanks. While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

“In Arizona it is illegal for woman to wear pants in the town of Tucson. It is illegal to play cards in the street with Native Americans in the town of Globe. It is illegal to drive a car in reverse in the town of Glendale. It is illegal to wear suspenders in the town of Nogales.

“In Arkansas, it is illegal to kill 'any living creature' in the town of Fayetteville. School teachers who bob their hair may forfeit their pay raises.

“In California, it is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale. In Pacific Grove, "molesting" butterflies can result in a $500 fine. It is illegal to set a mousetrap without a hunting license. In Long Beach, it is illegal to curse on a mini-golf course. It is illegal to cry on the witness stand in Los Angeles courts.” The femme rambled on for some time, it was clear that she intended to go on much longer, but some humans giving her odd looks halted her speech.

Scatterblade found this amusing. “Huh, those are really weird, but then, even laws on Cybertron had to be changed because they were outdated.” He pointed out.

Illusory consented to the similarity. “That is true, but most of those were eliminated – these have simply...remained. It even appears from time to time, on rare occasion, that they are still enforced.”

Scatterblade merely blinked in surpise. “That is strange. Why haven’t they been fixed?” He found himself similarly troubled by the way these humans ran their affairs. What purpose did it stand to let a law that no longer had any founding remain in service? Or enforced? “Let’s just hope their government doesn’t fall apart,” he murmured.

“It seems,” Illusory decided, after yet another group of humans cast her an odd look, to initiate her holoform and moved it to sit on her hood, “that there is even a group of humans that have that as their primary goal. It is not even a secret!” She was blown away by the mere notion such humans were allowed to function within the society. Wasn't that how the war between Decepticons and Autobots had begun? With a small group wishing to tear apart the standing government? “Anarchists, they call them...there's a whole mega-verse's worth of information on them alone...” her voice drifted with amazement as she pulled up the files she had downloaded on these extremists.

“There’s always someone who thinks they know what’s best for everyone. Or more true would be, for themselves,” he agreed. “Have they done anything recently that would threaten these people?”

“They litter the human news with attacks, though nothing that could be considered 'organized'. I suppose that is both their folly and their benefit; they cannot get themselves organized enough to be considered a serious threat, so they are dealt with on a case by case basis instead of pursued as a whole.” She vented, her holoform sighing at the same time. “Always some struggle going on it seems.” It was very disappointing to find that war – or the aspects of it at the very least – were never far from life, wherever it was. Not that it would affect her, she promised herself, no matter what she would stay neutral, she would not involve herself in the disagreements of others. If they ended up destroying each other...well, sad as that would be, so be it.

“Sometimes I think that’s Primus’s joke on us all,” he frowned. “He just likes to screw with us every once in a while."

“Once in a while?” The disbelief was heavy in Illusory's voice. “If Primus truly does exist, he has a highly inappropriate sense of humor.”

Scatterblade laughed. A real, honest to Primus laugh, like he used to laugh vorns ago. “I wonder if humans have their own kind of Primus,” he sighed. “One thing I’ve learned about them is that some are deeply devout to their beliefs.”

Illusory briefly attempted to resist the urge to connect with the human internet once more, but decided that gathering information while she could was probably better. Again, she was consumed by the downloads, this time on human religions and found herself even more awestruck by the variety and the levels of devotion the humans put into the beliefs. “Simply amazing...”

“We should ask Charlie when she returns whether or not she has a specific belief,” he asked with a grin. “Bet it would make for interesting conversation.”

“Hn,” she agreed, still finding herself swamped with information. “They fought wars over their religions...” she noted somewhat absently; almost as if the information spilled from her mouth entirely of its own will and by none of her own.

Scatterblade frowned at the expression on her face. “You ok? You functioning alright?”

“I am functioning just fine,” she tried to draw herself from the downloads. One of the side effects of her altered processor was that once she started downloading, stopping was difficult – at times impossible. “Downloading,” she admitted after failing to stop the process yet again.

“Maybe Charlie was right about the little at a time thing,” Scatterblade said. He was silent for moment while he thought about other things running through his processor; allowing the femme time to complete her downloads. “Do you think there are others here?”

“Here? As in on the planet, or in the town?” Illusory asked as her downloading process slowed, eventually coming to a stop.

“The planet,” he said grimly. “I know the ‘Cons have been here for a long time.”

“When I entered the transmission range, I picked up something from an Autobot source. I cannot say that I paid it much attention, I only noted where it was coming from and avoided that area. However, I would have to assume it indicates an Autobot presence on the planet, yes.” She wasn't telling the full truth. She did pay the transmission plenty of attention, logging that it was Optimus Prime himself sending the message along with assurances of others there and others to come.

His expression changed to that of peace at the news. “Good. More 'bots to keep these people safe.”

“More 'bots to create a higher risk for innocents to be caught in the crossfire...” she grumbled unhappily.

Scatterblade was silent. He couldn’t argue with that fact; the more he had come to know Illusory the more he was tempted to become Neutral as well. After everything he had suffered at the hands of the war, being Neutral just sounded like an answer to a long unasked question. Still, he was a warrior and fighting wouldn't likely leave him just because he ditched his alignment.

Illusory allowed the silence to carry on for a while before she decided she didn't much care for it. “What made you join the war?” She asked bluntly. It was almost an accusation, though it was not intended as such.

Scatterblade sat up and looked at her. That was a question he knew the answer to right away; something he'd asked himself a thousand times and always had the same answer to give. “It’s similar to the human phrase; 'if everyone jumped off a cliff would you do it?' My answer was 'yes'. I didn’t see any other option at the time, to tell you the truth. I didn’t want Megatron to win and it was as simple as that. Now it just seems pointless, though.”

“Hn,” she agreed. “I can't say I ever wanted either side to win.” She grimaced a little, before glancing over to Scatterblade. “I am sorry, I just don't see how destroying our planet, our race and so much more in war is beneficial to anyone.”

“It never was beneficial,” he said sadly. “There was no convincing either side to just stop.” He vented softly remembering all the failed negotiations he had heard about. “I had a friend that chose the other side. I tried so hard to convince him not to; we had so many of the same thoughts on everything. Ended up fighting him later on. He didn’t make it out.”

“That is how it always goes,” she growled. “There is always one who does not make it out...or a few...or hundreds...an entire city...until there is just nothing left. Not even for the survivors. I hoped running would save me from that blasted war, but it seems to be everywhere.” She vented heavily, dismissing the emotion within her. “I am sorry for your loss.”

“You don’t have to get mad at me, I want this war to end too. To just stop!” He growled. Then, giving into the defeat he felt he continued; “I just wish…I wish there was something that could have been done to stop it.”

“I am not displeased with you, personally...I guess you might say I harbor some ill will towards the idea. I did not mean to indicate otherwise.”

The mech shrugged, shaking his head. “I think I will take a short recharge until Charlie returns,” Sactterblade said closing the holoform’s eyes for appearance sake.

Illusory nodded. Deciding that she was too curious to recharge at the moment, she moved her holoform from the hood of her alt mode and began wandering the campus. She found the humans to be very fascinating in their interactions with each other and wondered about the heavy bags many of them carried.

At one point she 'borrowed' a book from a young male who was not paying attention and started reading through it. It had some interesting theories on coming to terms with trauma, life and death. 'Perhaps it is because they are so short lived,' she thought, 'that they have become so proficient at dealing with the tragedy of mortality.' She set the book down again once she was done, some distance away from where the human had been before. He was not there now, but she assumed that if he was in need of the book, he would come back for it at some point.

The day progressed and she noted that the humans shuffled about to a schedule – usually marked by the loud sounds of an alarm of some type. It was interesting to see how some would rush from one place to another, appearing stressed, while others seemed to not have a single care in the world. 'What I wouldn't trade to be you now,' she thought wistfully.

Illusory found herself standing outside of one of the buildings as the alarm that meant the humans would all sift to a new location went off. She hurried to get to where she would not be in the way of the hurried beings. She watched the humans go, she thought she saw Charlie but couldn't be sure among the crowd. It didn't much matter to her, she figured the human was close, and there were plenty of things left to investigate, so she moved on once the crowed had thinned.

Charlie left the building in the flood of students, Nate close at her side. He was done for the day and heading back to the dorms to do homework. Charlie didn't have anything else until the evening and she was going to walk with him to the dorms. She wasn't really looking but when she looked up she thought she saw a familiar face. Illusory looked a little overwhelmed being in the sea of teenagers.

Apparently, Nate had seen her too. "Hey! Laurie was it?" He waved to her.

Illusory recognized the male voice and when she turned to locate him found him to be with the person she thought to be Charlie before. “Illusory,” she corrected as she approached.

Nate laughed, "Wow. That was really off."

"Hey, Illusory. You exploring campus a bit?” Charlie asked as the femme's holoform came to stand beside her.

"Yes," she smiled. "It has been very intriguing."

"Ok," Nate said with a grin. "So did you start this fall?" He asked almost suspiciously. "Haven't seen you since Labor Day weekend."

"Start?" Illusory was confused. "Start what? I have only just arrived in town so I have started nothing as of yet."

"Uh, school...guess not. Did you move up here or are you visiting?" He tried again. This girl was really weird, so not like anyone he'd ever known Charlie to hang out with.

"Hmm, that is an interesting prospect." If she joined with the 'school' she would be able to gather far more information. "I have yet to decide if I will remain here or not, but perhaps I will 'start school'," she said, tipping her head in consideration.

Charlie paled slightly. Illusory didn't know very much about humans – from what she had gathered – so she wouldn't know about all that had to happen for someone to enroll in school. "Would you have the money for it? College can get pretty expensive." She laughed nervously. She had no idea if her new robot friends had funds.

“Money?” Her focus grew a little distant as she researched the word. “It would not take much for me to acquire what would be needed.” She left out that it would be, technically, against many human laws.

Nate nodded approvingly. "At least someone's got it easy. We're still trying to find jobs so we can stay on top of payments."

Charlie was concerned by Illusory's response. How was she planning on getting all that money? Let alone provide ID and residency and records and scores. She was sure she was going to have to have a long talk with her back at the dorms.

“Jobs?” Again Illusory researched the word. “What prevents you from acquiring employment?”

Charlie sighed. What a question to ask. "I've never really had a job. I lack the experience employers look for. Even in the most mundane jobs."

Nate raised his hand as if answering a question in class. "I'm just too lazy to go job hunting,” he stated rather proudly.

"I can assist you both in locating proper employment, if that is what you like." She was already starting to flag jobs in the area.

“That’d be great,” Nate said. He then looked at his watch. “I gotta go get some homework done. I’ll talk to you later?” He said to Charlie as he started off.

She nodded and waved good-bye.

Illusory watched the young male walk away, already having located several places that were within the known parameters of the human's abilities - at least as far as she knew them. "Do you also have homework to do?" She asked when Charlie did not follow.

“Luckily, no,” she chuckled. “I was wondering if I could talk to you for a while. I never really got to ask you anything.”

“Of course!” Illusory smiled brightly, though she wondered just how much she could tell the human and keep her safe – or how little she should actually not tell her to better prepare her for the Cybertronians her race may face someday. “I will answer to the best of my abilities. I left Scatterblade in recharge, but I am sure he would gladly do the same.” They headed back toward the parking lot where Illusory and Scatterblade were currently parked.

Charlie chuckled, “Awesome. Can I sit inside?” She felt like she should ask, though it sounded rather awkward. How did one phrase such a question?

“Absolutely,” Illusory waved with her hand to where her alt mode sat, the door was already partially open waiting for the human.

The young woman hopped into the car feeling giddy at the thought that this was actually an alien and not just a car. “So I never really asked you where you came from?”

The front windshield of Illusory's alt mode went dark and then a vast array of stars splayed out across it. “This is your universe, as you see it from here.” The image expanded, stars zooming past so quickly they were barely ever there and then a large, dark planet came into view in the center of the window. It had several moons around it, and the planet its self looked like large chunks were missing, or on fire. “This is my world...was my world. Cybertron. It is dead now, I don't know that it will ever be revived.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped at the sight. It was both glorious and horrid all at once. The vision of an alien world so far from her own had her excited, but to see that it was so...ravaged...was heart breaking. “Oh my,” she shuddered. “How did that happen?”

Illusory's whole frame shuddered slightly with anger. “Fools stared a war that neither could win and neither would relent.”

“That’s a pretty good way to put it,” Scatterblade said coming out of his short recharge. “There’s usually two sides. Some will label them good and bad, but the whole thing that started it was…stupid.”

“Two sides? Why does that sound weird?”

“There are always two sides to everything,” Illusory interjected. “War especially. Only, there are beings that get trapped in the middle.”

Charlie nodded. She’d learned enough from school and even in the newspapers about that tidbit nobody ever really talked about. “Did all your people fight? It sounds like some were just …stuck.”

“No. Some of us tried to stay out of it, but in one way or another, everyone was dragged in. Innocent 'bots were destroyed in the path of their war. The rest of us were left to gather up the pieces and wait for the war to come through again. We did what we had to...” The distant sorrow in Illusory's voice was tinted darkly with anger and hate.

Charlie was silent for a moment, absorbing the tragedy she was just beginning to learn about. “I’m so sorry. Did you two escape it? The war, I mean. By coming to Earth?”

Scatterblade’s holoform shifted awkwardly waiting for Illusory to speak first.

“Escape can never happen,” Illusory's voice turned rather stoic as she spoke now. “I ran when the war got too close, but it does not matter how far I go; it will always be there. It will always be in the shadows, waiting to destroy everything in its path once more.” She vented harshly. “I am sorry. That is not a very pleasant way to talk. For now, the war is not a primary concern for me.”

“So it’s still going on…” Charlie thought about this for a second before coming to some rather disturbing conclusions. “Do you think it’s here? Are both sides…on Earth?”

“Hate to say yes about the ‘Cons,” Scatterblade mumbled, “but at least there are some Autobots here.”

“Hn,” Illusory grunted sarcastically. “They are here, yes. Hopefully they will move on...” she didn't think mentioning she knew that the hope was futile would be a good idea; there was no sense in scaring the human.

Charlie looked between the two ‘bots. “Let me see if I get this straight. You don’t like these Autobots and he does. Why? If there’s a good side why don’t you chose it?”

“There is no 'good' side in war, Charlie. The Autobots can be just as corrupt, dirty and manipulative as the Decepticons. They are just quieter about it.” She wondered for half a pulse of her spark how Scatterblade would take her opinion of his faction; but if anyone knew the truth about them, it was her. How many times had she bought information off of them? Traded details for secrets? The Autobots would do anything to win, just like the Decepticons, and she had made her living from their willingness to barter with lives.

Scatterblade’s eyes flashed angrily. “I think I’d like to talk to you about that later.”

Charlie decided she didn't like the way this was going. Obviously there was some friction between them over this; she just wasn't quite sure yet what it was. “Guys, please. Don’t get mad at each other.”

Scatterblade tried to reign in his anger for the benefit of their new friend, but he couldn't just let Illusory's comment go uncontested. “Prime is not like a ‘Con,” he growled.

“Scatterblade,” Charlie said warningly.

“Prime...” Illusory started, but held her thoughts. Of all the Autobots, he was one that seemed to uphold their 'ideals', but still, the mech fought a fools war and so therefore was a fool. Not to mention he was the one on this planet, the one that would likely bring the war here with him. “Prime does not ask where his information comes from,” she decided to settle for simple truth instead.

Scatterblade was caught off guard. “What are you talking about?”

“I do not believe now is an appropriate time for this conversation.”

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. “We’re gonna stop now. Maybe you should go cool off, ‘Blade?”

The mech rolled his windows up and the tint darkened. He sat there for a few moments before reversing and hurrying off down the street.

Charlie sighed, “Well, that didn’t go well.”

“The truth can be hard to take...” Illusory felt a little bad for being so rough. Still, she had told them the truth and that was more important to her than ensuring his feelings remained unharmed. “I apologize, I should not have said anything.”

Charlie pondered on this. Maybe she’d just have to ask them separately to avoid any further confrontations. “What did you mean about Autobots being like the…what were they called?”

“Hm, Decepticons. Think of it like your political system,” something else Illusory had found intensely interesting to research. “When two opposing governing bodies desire power over something they do not have, they will do what they must to obtain it. Mudslinging, I believe you humans like to call it. However, when that power hunger turns to war, even the most noble, upstanding of them will fall. They will sell out their own soldiers for a bit of information they believe will win them the fight, or get them the upper hand.” She vented again, softly. “I admit that Autobots are less forceful...most of the time, but even they will do what they see fit to obtain secrets of the Decepticons.”

She was about to object about the political parties fighting for power, but then she was reminded of the civil war and the huge divide in numbers going republican and democrat. “That…sounds familiar. But what side would help us? What side should I be more afraid of?” She wondered out loud. She couldn't help but feel a shock of fear that an alien war might be coming to her planet; even worse that it might already be here. She wanted to know what she should do, who she should trust.

“If I had that answer, I would have chosen a side.” Illusory groaned a little as she realized her words. “If you ever find yourself stuck between them, run towards the Autobots, they are less likely to shoot you.”

“Less likely?” Charlie chuckled nervously. “Never simple. Nothing is ever simple.”

“Far too true,” Illusory agreed. “Now, is there something more pleasant perhaps we can talk about?”

“I like music,” Charlie said switching the topic with this simple declaration. “Do you like music?”

“I do enjoy music, yes. What do you prefer?”

“I like to sing,” she smiled. “Started singing when I was at church with my family. Started by singing nursery songs, then went into Primary. We would sing as a congregation too. I love hymns.” She took a deep breath. “Makes me glad I’m alive when I sing.”

Illusory tried to compare the idea to a feeling, but found there was not much to draw on. “Something so simple can make you so happy?”

“Yes. It's one of the only things that’s still simple and makes sense. Something you don’t really need proof of,” she shrugged, unsure exactly how to relate the sensation to an alien she didn't even know enough about to know whether or not they had religion or faith. “Do you want to hear my favorite hymn?”

“I would.”

Charlie smiled and cleared her throat some. Her soprano voice had a young sound to it, much younger than she looked. It was clear, strong and very steady as she articulated the words.

_“Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!_

_The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!_

 

_Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see_

_The distant scene; one step enough for me._

 

_“I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;_

_I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!_

 

_I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,_

_Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!_

 

_“So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on._

_O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,_

 

_And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I_

_Have loved long since, and lost awhile!"_

By the third verse she had changed the key and was starting to gain an audience as passersbys paused to listen, but she didn't care.

When she finished she smiled and laughed. She had to wipe the extra moisture in her eyes, a side effect of a well delivered verse.

Illusory said nothing as the human sang. She sensed there was something within the song, a belief that simply existed, that she did not understand. She could think of nothing to say that she did not fear might be taken wrongly, so instead she simply commented on the sound its self. “Lovely.”

Charlie smiled politely, she wasn’t used to taking compliments, though she was getting better at it. “It reminds me of home. I used to live in Southern California. I can really only go home at Christmas time right now, so the song kind of helps to give me hope. Helps me to understand that I’m not alone.”

“At least you can return home,” there was no harshness in Illusory's voice and she attempted to keep her sorrow out as well. “Do you often feel alone? Even with so many fellow humans around you?”

Charlie sighed. “Sometimes. In a crowded room too.” She felt bad for saying anything about home. Her friend’s home was no longer inhabitable and in hind sight she felt she probably insulted Illusory. Her worry diminished when the femme didn't react negatively though her caution remained. She hadn't thought about how much a simple thing like 'home' could affect.

“I suppose that is a feeling we share. Even before I abandoned my home, I spent much time alone. Even in the largest of cities still standing, I was almost always separate.” She thought about Scatterblade, and wondered how he had to feel now; an Autobot with a Decepticon signature who could not reach out to his faction? He must feel so very alone and she had denied him his comrades by refusing to call out to the Autobots in his favor – or to even tell him she knew _who_ had come to this planet. “Perhaps we are all that way from time to time.”

“Yeah. The hard part is finding some other way to fill the space. I tend to read. To immerse myself in other's problems for a change,” she sighed. “That’s only a temporary fix though. That’s kinda why I’m in school, so that I can do something with my life. To have a career where I love to wake up in the morning and go to work. Not just for the paycheck.”

“That sounds pleasant,” Illusory agreed. That would be nice. Perhaps she could find a way to blend in with these humans on a more permanent basis? Act as a human and become a part of their society? 'Risky,' she thought, 'but it might just be worth it.'

Charlie nodded then her grin fell. “Were you serious about starting school up here?”

Illusory's frame tilted slightly in a pseudo-shrug. “I did seriously consider the option.”

“Where are you gonna get the money? There’s all kinds of documents that you need besides that,” she said. “You’ve got to have proof that you even went to high school. I’m pretty sure you’d pass tests but there’s also a lot more you need.”

“It would not be difficult for me to acquire proper documentations – though I admit they would be falsified. I cannot avoid that issue, not being of this planet. However, everything else should not be too difficult.” She did not mention that she had been considering 'acquiring' finances through less-than-legal means as well. Perhaps she would do the better thing and seek employment as well...or, find some other means that would be considered 'legal' at the very least. She seemed to recall in her resent searches that humans valued minerals and stones of specific varieties pretty highly; it would not take her too much effort to locate a small amount of the stuffs to trade for monetary value.

She chuckled. “Kinda figured that part.” She paused, thinking on other issues the thought of the alien joining her school brought up. “Would you really try to stay here? I mean, Logan’s beautiful but not nearly as much at other places.”

“I cannot claim to know where I will stay for any amount of time, but for the current moment this seems a pleasant enough of a place to be. Unless you would prefer for me to move on? I will respect your desires, considering my presence does raise the risks of others coming this way; should they pick up my spark signature.”

“No. I'd like for you stay. Just don’t want to force you. I’d really like it if you stayed,” Charlie grinned mentally embarrassed for being repetitive. It just seemed like the only way she could express herself. “So, do you have questions for me?” She asked flashing her a smile.

“I have researched that humans attend 'college' for a higher education and career training. What is it you are studying?” Illusory was already creating the false documents needed – the human information systems really were too easy to manipulate.

“I want to eventually work in conservation education. Teaching kids and their parents about how they can help wildlife populations from declining,” she said smoothly as if she had rehearsed it a hundred times. “I want to protect what wilds we have left. I’m kinda obsessed with big cats,” she said her grin getting bigger. “Ever since _The Lion King_ ,” Charlie laughed.

“Who is the lion king?”

Charlie laughed again. “It’s a movie that came out when I was little. You can Google it, or we can watch it tonight!” She said getting very excited suddenly. “I’ve got a ton of movies! And half of them haven’t been watched in almost two years.”

“I think I would very much enjoy that.” She sent scans out, looking for Scatterblade. The mech would likely enjoy the socialization as well, but she thought that perhaps she should offer him the opportunity to go to his Prime; to his comrades. “Maybe Scatterblade will join us...” she sounded very doubtful.

Charlie whooped and hopped out of the car, pausing when she mentioned Scatterblade. “Is there some way to reach him?”

“His communications systems were damaged. I will simply have to go look for him; assuming he is not completely hiding himself, it should not take me too long.” Her engine revved, preparing to search for the mech. “Besides, I believe I owe him some explanations. Is there a way that I might contact you once I have located him?”

“I have a cellphone,” Charlie said relaying the number to her.

Illusory stored the number before slowly pulling away from her spot. “I should not be long.” She set her scanners on high and began searching for the missing mech.

 


	5. Event Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Five**

~

_Move on. Scatter the illusions of the deceptions encompassing your mind and move on.  
_

_~_

 

Scatterblade was fuming. How dare she insult them? It seemed like she didn’t even know them yet she was judging them. Scatterblade hadn’t even met them and he wasn’t judging them. She could have heard stories about defective Autobots and let that label the rest but he wasn’t going to. He’d had a team once. He hadn't been the leader or anything and it was only for a short while with little training, but at least he’d trusted the ‘bots he fought alongside. If the Autobots were doing what they do best, protecting others, then why wouldn’t she join with them? If anything they could stay safe under Autobot protection. 

He vented heavily shutting his engine off. He was sitting in a residential area some twenty to thirty miles away. He had found a park and just decided to stay there, there was little use in driving – he would likely just keep going if he didn't stop now. His holoform stared at the rushing waters of the river next to his spot.

It was hard to stay mad, really. Not that he wanted to, especially when it was his friends that he was mad at. A mech never knew when someone would be taken away from him so staying mad only ruined what time they had. Still, he wasn't comfortable with what the femme had said. After all that time they stayed in each other's company in the canyon – he had never once heard her talk about the Autobots in such a way. It bothered him deeply. Maybe it was his loyalty that made him so angry at her? He wasn't sure and that bothered him even more. If he was going to be upset with her, he wanted to be upset because he was right, not because his loyalty demanded that he be.

Illusory passed the mech before she realized it and chose to park a short distance away, using her holoform to approach him.

She wasn't really ashamed of her words – they had all been very true, if painful – but she did feel poorly for the mech. She hated to see the damage her words could cause, even knowing she herself had sold sparks to their enemies by speaking.

“I did what I had to do to survive,” she offered as announcement to her arrival. “I saw many horrible things...did many horrible things.” She refused to look at the mech, or his holoform. Instead she stood a short distance away, only speaking loud enough for him to hear. “I know exactly how far the Autobots would go to get the information they wanted...because I sold it to them.”

“What do you mean 'sold',” he asked looking over her with a confused expression.

Her holoform sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around herself. “I am a Neutral, Scatterblade. Cybertron was far from kind to us after the war ravaged the planet. Energon was not easy to access for any of us...and I began trading secrets for it just to live. Then, I began getting better and better secrets, deep intel, things that...” she closed her eyes thinking of all the 'bots she had personally sent to the matrix by selling her secrets. “I did what I had to. I had several different contacts within the Autobots and my prices grew with the level of information I acquired – they gave me almost anything I asked for in trade...including their own secrets.”

Scatterblade was silent, holoform staring out the windshield of his alt mode. “The war made both sides…desperate. I understand that, but I don’t understand you’re dislike for the Autobots.” He looked up at her getting out his alt mode. “I don’t have to know why. I don’t think I even want to really. But…please let Charlie come up with her own opinion of them. I won’t say anything to persuade her, even if it goes that far and she meets some of the others.”

“I will not lie,” she stated simply, looking up at the male holoform, a very dark look in her golden yellow eyes. “I will admit that of the two, Autobots are far kinder when they destroy cities.” She sighed, turning her eyes away again. “I apologize. I have seen far too much to have any truly kind thoughts of either faction. I will attempt to keep my opinions to myself.”

Scatterblade’s lips tightened into a line. “Thank you,” was all her said to her. It was all he could say. He still felt hurt by her words, but at least he knew she wasn't jumping to her conclusions. “Why did you come looking for me?” He asked suddenly, not wanting to think about it anymore.

“Well,” she pushed some loose gravel around with her foot distractedly, “partially because I felt bad for having chased you off, partially because I felt I owed you _some_ explanation, but mostly because Charlie wishes for us to watch some 'movies' with her. I thought you would enjoy that.”

Scatterblade’s demeanor changed almost instantly; all too willing to take the change in subject to spark. “Sounds like a fun way to spend the evening.” He hopped back into his car, motioning for Illusory to go to her's. “Lead the way? I wasn’t really paying attention when I came out here.”

Illusory offered a small smile before walking back to her alt mode. “We should see about getting your communication systems back online,” she called out before climbing in. Her engine revved a little before she turned to head back to the college.

Opening her own internal systems, she connected to the number Charlie had given her and waited for an answer.

Charlie jumped at the ring tone: _“Yo yo yo yo yo!!! I’m over here!! Yo man! I’m here!! YO!! I’m over here!!”_ , her default was annoying but it helped her to avoid telemarketers she accidentally gave her number to. “Hello?” She answered somewhat cautiously.

“Charlie, this is Illusory. I have located Scatterblade and we are en route now. We should arrive in approximately twenty minutes.”

“Alright! That’s awesome. I’ll be waiting. I’ll be in room 216, up the stairs.”

Illusory closed the line and continued to the college. She found a near enough parking spot and recreated her holoform. Stepping out she noted the straggling students around. Offering a small smile and a nod, she ignored them and waited for Scatterblade. Then led the way to the room she had been directed to.

Scatterblade parked as well and followed after Illusory. They came to a door and he took the initiative, knocking firmly on the door. 

Charlie swung the door open, a bright smile on her face to see the two human looking forms standing there. “Hey!” She announced, “I didn’t know if you wanted to choose or not, so I’ll just let you browse.” She led the way and plopped down onto the couch.

Illusory followed the human femme into the small room. She was fascinated by the living quarters. “It is not a very spacious living space, but efficient,” she commented. Though, compared to what she was used to, most things were rather small.

Turning her focus to the offered 'movies', she randomly grabbed one and held it up. “This?”

“Superman,” Charlie nodded approvingly. “This should be interesting.” 

Scatterblade nodded, settling on the couch to prepare for the experience. He was thoroughly entertained by the story, though he was more amused by the comments of his companions.

Illusory sat and watched the movie, asking questions several times throughout – mostly 'can humans really _do_ that?' or 'how do they not know he is the same as the reporter?' Finally ending with a concerned look on her face, and being entirely baffled to the whole thing.

“So, humans are not able to do any of these things, yet they create an image of a human that can do these things to believe in and feel safe?”

“It’s called dreaming,” Charlie laughed. “Every human has dreamed of flying. Some humans are able to make dreams into…semi-realities,” she said with a shrug. 

“That’s fascinating. Suppose there really is a planet like Krypton,” Scatterblade said his feet propped up on the coffee table his hands behind his head. “I mean, before I got dragged here I’d never even heard of this part of the galaxy. There’s still so much that hasn’t been explored.”

“Hn,” Illusory agreed, “there are still many hidden corners of the multiverse as a whole...” She pondered the idea of a place of these strange humans that could gain unusual powers by traveling to another solar system, only to find herself even more baffled. “That is why I am not a scientist I suppose,” she conceded after a while.

“The movie is just a story. It’s not real,” Charlie said hoping to calm her a little instead of frustrating her. “It’s just for fun. To be entertained.”

“It was...amusing,” she said eventually. “The idea is entertaining to think of, even if it does confuse me a little. Our own race has stories that are similar, so I can compare. Myths and sparkling-stories.”

“I enjoyed some of those stories,” Scatterblade said with fondness. “Can’t remember a lot of them. Just that I liked them.” 

“You guys want to watch another? I think I can squeeze one more in before I have to get to my last class,” Charlie asked hopefully. 

“Yes,” Illusory answered somewhat enthusiastically. Then she turned to Scatterblade, “I used to love them too. I admit that when I was much, much younger, I stored as many as my processor would allow. I can hardly recall them anymore though.”

“I wonder if anyone can,” the mech mumbled. Before the thoughts could drag him down again, he switched to his much happier self. “Why don’t you pick the next one, Charlie?”

The young woman jumped from her seat and pulled out the worn case for the DVD of her choice. Popping it in she sat down on the couch again. "I shall now introduce you to animation!" She said slyly.

“This should be interesting,” Illusory quickly looked up the context of 'animation' and could feel the familiar draw to download more information, but determinedly stopped before it began. “Moving art, that is something I believe I can understand just fine.”

The title came up and Charlie tried so hard not to break her face with her too-big smile. _The Lion King, Special Edition._

Scatterblade whispered to her; “What’s a lion?”

Charlie simply laughed and shushed him.

Illusory watched in complete rapture as the animated characters played out their story. It was...familiar. “Is it just me,” she asked somewhat dazed, “or did we just watch animated animals act out a Prime's struggle to gain his position?”

Scatterblade laughed at the comparison. “Pretty close to it. I can see why you like this movie,” he said to Charlie. 

“What’s a Prime?” She asked, noting the irony of her earlier refusal to explain what a lion was.

"A Prime used to be the benevolent ruler of our race...but now he is the leader of the Autobot faction in the war." Illusory explained shortly. "He..." she stopped before she could say anything more; she had promised to keep her opinion to herself.

Scatterblade frowned but didn’t reply.

Charlie quickly filled the silence, sensing tension returning. “Cool, must be a pretty powerful guy. Do you know his name? Have either of you met him?”

“His designation is, Optimus Prime,” Scatterblade started. “Never did get to meet him. Not personally anyway,” the mech said almost wistfully.

Illusory grew visually tense. "I have not met him personally either.”

“Bummer,” Charlie said sitting back in the couch once more. She glanced at the clock and jumped back up. “Dang, class starts in ten minutes. I’ll be back in a hour and a half!” She said grabbing her backpack and running out the door.

Illusory watched in something near apprehension as the human left for her last class. What were they to do now? She glanced at Scatterblade, then to the stack of movies. “We could watch another one, I suppose?”

“Has there ever been anyone you were dying to meet?” He asked randomly, thinking about his answer to the question.

“No,” Illusory answered immediately. Her whole body grew tense again, as she feared what Scatterblade would say. “Is there...for you? Someone you would give so much to meet?”

He nodded though didn’t say anything right away. “I wouldn’t really die to meet someone. Just an expression I picked up from the humans,” he waved his hand in dismissal. “There was always one ‘bot I wanted to meet, and surprising to some it's not Optimus Prime. I would have liked very much to meet Ironhide,” he said simply. Not in any accusatory or wishful kind of tone. Just a simple statement.

Illusory's tension eased only slightly. Ironhide – if the minor amounts of data she had acquired on the Prime and his crew were accurate, then the weapons specialist was with the mech leader of the Autobots here on Earth. “What...” she couldn't believe how instinct automatically took over her, “would you give to meet with him?” Old habits died hard.

Scatterblade was silent. “Well, for one this Primus forsaken ‘Con signal. I’d have to get that changed before I go anywhere near any Autobots. But to answer your question, I don’t know. I don’t have a massive urge to go and search after a sparkling dream. Just one of those things you think about when you’re safe enough to think about anything.”

“What if he were close?” Damn her Pit ingrained need to barter for information! She was angry with herself for doing it, but just couldn't stop. She didn't want anything from Scatterblade more than his company for the time she had it. “And what if there was a chance of a medic as well, that could very likely fix that for you?”

Scatterblade turned to her brows furrowed. “What are you trying to say?” His eyes lit up in dawning awareness as he studied the femme's stiff stance. “How long have you known?” He demanded, his tone flat and his face in guarded.

Illusory looked fully ashamed of herself, her eyes fixed on the floor and her hands grasping at each other as if something precious might be slipping through her fingers. “I have been aware of Autobot presence on this planet since my arrival here,” she stated flatly. “There was a message broadcast long range from the Prime himself stating that this was to be a refuge for Autobots willing to come defend the planet and its inhabitants from the Decepticons.” She considered just dissipating her holoform and simply avoiding any further frustration. “I had acquired information before I had abandoned Cybertron about the Prime and his crew and I happen to know that Ironhide and Ratchet are among them.”

Scatterblade felt his spark sink. His holoform actually looked weak and it sank deeper into the couch. His stare shifted to the ceiling, his voice lost among his shock and rampaging thoughts. How many of his troubles could be taken care of now? Pit, he could go and join them! He felt such a yearning to be with the Autobots, such a powerful tug for just a moment that would help him get things back to normal. Yet he felt…damaged. Fear that he could never go back flitted through his processor; left over taunts from his Decepticon captors daring him to try and let his own faction shoot him for his efforts.

When he took a breath it was hitched and broken. He was stuck once again. There was a chance for help for him, and close, but he couldn’t get rid of that nagging voice telling him that he was broken beyond repair. It was a horrible feeling. A disgusting, dirty feeling.

Illusory took his silence as disapproval. She had kept him from the Autobots, the 'bots he probably wanted most to find because they could help him. Deciding she would give him time to make his decisions, she dropped her holoform, returning her full consciousness to her true form. 'I could contact them, tell them where to find him,' she thought to herself. 'I could be gone long before they arrived. It would do me no harm.' She was already halfway to making an attempt to reaching the Autobots, but just couldn't push through that last little bit of will power to do it. 

'Then he would be gone, and you would be alone again,' she reminded herself. 'I have Charlie, and I can enlist in this school...I don't have to be alone.' Her thoughts turned in turmoil within her processor, going over a thousand options and a thousand excuses. It all boiled down to the simple fact she didn't want Scatterblade to leave her.

Scatterblade was pulled out his musings several breems later and groaned. Putting his face into his hands he made his decision. 'I gotta tell her,' he thought. He could always try and get at least his com link working again and he’d be okay. He would find a way to make it work being with just Illusory and Charlie. He’d grown accustomed to being with Illusory, the thought of leaving her on her own just didn't set well with him. Then there was Charlie; sure he had just met the spunky little human femme, but she seemed nice enough. He felt content, happy even, with the thought of being with them.

He allowed the holoform to walk back to Illusory’s spot, relieved to find the femme where she had been. “Can I finish talking to you? I really need to tell you something,” he said.

“If it has anything to do with my withholding information from you, I apologize, but I did inform you that it was my trade.” There was heavy regret in her tone, but she simply waited for the accusation to come.

“It’s not about that,” he said simply. All of his earlier anger vanished. He was tired and his holoform projected his weariness. “I have to explain something I only scratched the surface of, but I don’t think I can show you here. Wanna take a drive?” He asked trying to smile.

Illusory saw the weariness and was concerned. “You are not angry with me?”

The mech shrugged. “Anger takes energy. Call me lazy but I just don’t like staying angry.”

“Hn,” she agreed, though with no little amount of confusion. She revved her engine, indicating that she would accompany him for a drive. After all, she felt the need to run out some of her own shame.

Scatterblade dismissed his holoform after he had gone through the theatrics of “starting” the car. He drove toward the highway away from the school and town. The canyon that led to the interstate was long and had many secluded spots much like the Logan Canyon along it. He pulled off onto a dirt road a little ways into the canyon and following it until he saw a good place to stand that was still well concealed.

Illusory followed, wondering just what it could be that Scatterblade was going to show her.

He led her into trees a ways and finally stopped when he finally felt they had gone far enough. “Remember when I said I spent some time with the ‘Cons,” he asked, “and said they liked to play Primus?” He didn’t look at her while he talked, instead he focused on the ground and his feet.

“Yes,” she remembered that conversation rather clearly.

He vented slowly gathering his thoughts. “When the Decepticons attacked my team they didn’t go for prisoners. I’m still not sure why, but one of the scientists there decided he needed to use me as a prototype or something. A test subject for an experiment. Maybe...maybe it was some kind of revenge or something.” His hands were shaking slightly and he curled them into fists to still them. “I lost my team and my identity that orn. It's mostly blocked in my processor. Every once in a while I can recall the pain, but nothing much past that. They took me apart, to put it simply.

“I guess they figured they needed spies within the humans. So they did this to me;” he transformed back to his alt mode. From outside it looked as if he were in stasis. Then the familiar song of transformation echoed from him, but he did not move. Not on the outside at least.

The door of his alt mode opened and out stepped the man he’d posed as in his holoform.

Illusory looked at the figure and at first saw nothing important. Then it hit her all at once as her scanners picked up the tell tale signs. “A pretender!” She gasped in shock.

Scatterblade didn’t know what to say other than his concern. “I don’t know if I can face them with something like this. I don’t know what to do. I just feel like ignoring it’s there, but it’s not something temporary...it won't just go away.”

It took her some time to gather her wits again, but when she finally did a strange expression settled on her face. Something between disbelief and sarcasm. “If you fear your faction because of what your enemies have done to you, does that make them much better than those you've chosen to oppose? If your comrades would judge you for something that was not your fault, should you consider them comrades at all?” She shook her head before she went into a full rant. Crouching to look at the human pretender better, she evaluated him. “I think they should be more willing to accept you into their ranks with something such as this...it would be very tactical in their current position here on Earth.”

Scatterblade shook his head. “Perhaps your right. Maybe it’s just…” he held his head in frustration. “I’ve had some insecurities planted into my processor by those ‘Cons. Sometimes I wonder if I was altered more than I can remember. More than this. It scares me. One of the few things that does scare me anymore,” he admitted.

“Hn,” Illusory hummed sympathetically. She had seen what Decepticons would do to their prisoners – or to just anyone they captured and thought to toy with – and she knew very well it could haunt a 'bot for the rest of their lives. “Well, whatever you choose,” she smiled honestly and largely, “I will support you. You have a good spark – despite what it may appear as at first and I believe that whatever you do, you will overcome your fear.”

Scatterblade smiled up at her. “This is weird. Now I know how the humans feel,” he laughed. He was back to his happy self for now, the gloom of his confusion having passed with the femme's encouraging words. “Thank you, Illusory,” he said firmly.

Her smile only grew. “I cannot claim to have many comrades, but I would like to consider you as one; and comrades stick together.” Her eyes grew wide for a moment after she realized what she had said. “I mean, not that you have to...Ah'm just sayin' that Ah'll stay with ya if ya want meh to...” in her nervousness her strict speech slipped back to that of slum slang; clearly exposing her beginnings, which only made her more nervous. She fidgeted a little, hoping Scatterblade had not noticed and would let it pass.

“We-we should get back. Charlie will be leaving her class soon and I assume she would be distressed to find us both gone with no explanation.” She turned and headed back for the road, heat building in her frame from her embarrassment. It had been VORNS since she had slipped back into that hold accent. How could she have let it slip?

Scatterblade hurried to get back into the car. He stood to his bi pedal mode and followed after her, laughing inwardly at her strange flustered declaration. He was actually glad she had revealed a little more about herself when an unusual accent slipped through in her rushed explanation of said declaration. He also knew that if he brought it up it might embarrass her further so he kept it to himself.

Once they got to the road the drive back was quick and quiet.

Illusory parked in the same place she had before and then called up her holoform. She stood outside her alt mode looking up at the school. “I have considered enrolling in this institution, attempting to live among the humans.” She stated it as though there had been a full conversation around the issue and she were just finally stating an answer.

Scatterblade parked beside her his holoform also stepping out. He blinked. “Really?” He looked across the street at the closest building. “Cool.” He wondered if he too could join the school. He started researching what would be needed to attend such a school. “Might take a while to gather everything wouldn’t it?”

Shaking her head, Illusory started walking toward Charlie's dorm. “I have already acquired the correct documentation – it is not that complicated to forge information on this planet so long as you do the proper research. It is the finances that are more complicated. I can easily acquire the correct amount of funds as well...however, that is a little less legal and I do have other options. I could possibly take on a job. I have been seeking available options for Charlie and Nate and there are several that I could easily function at.”

“Oh,” he said simply. “Who’s Nate?” he asked suddenly, almost defensively.

“He is Charlie's male companion. He does not know our true nature.”

Scatterblade nodded though felt it didn’t really answer his question. He followed Illusory up the stairs. The door to Charlie’s dorm was open. A tiny amount of fear pricked at his spark and he looked to Illusory with concern.

Illusory froze immediately, her preservation nature claiming her full processor. She slid up to the wall and crept forward slowly, silently, her eyes flashing as she scanned the room for life.

Scatterblade was about ready to activate his pretender and have it rush up here. Just then Charlie walked into the living room from one of the rooms off to the left. She pulled open the refrigerator door to grab something to eat. However, it was near the back and needed a little more rummaging to reach.

With a sigh of relief, Illusory walked forward and tapped at the door. “Charlie? I apologize that we left without leaving some message.” She pushed the door open a little more, wondering if it was alright for her to enter, or if she should wait for permission.

Charlie pulled her head up abruptly smacking her head on the inside of the fridge. She popped out from behind the door. “Hey. Good to see you again.” She finished fishing the item from the fridge and placed the glass jar on the counter. “I kinda figured you’d come back. It’s no biggie.”

Illusory entered slowly, studying the thing Charlie had produced from the box with a lower internal temperature than the room.

Scatterblade also eyed the glass jar. “Whatcha got there?”

Charlie opened the jar and pulled out a large cylinder like object. “It’s a pickle,” she said with a grin taking a bite of the vegetable soaked in brine. “My favorite snack.”

Scanning the item, Illusory almost violently jerked back. “That is acidic!” She declared, thinking of what kind of havoc the small 'snack' would cause to her internals if she were to consume it.

Charlie stopped, the pickle already in her mouth again. She laughed swallowing her chewed off piece, “I guess you can say that, but it’s not gonna kill me.”

“Do you poison yourself for fun?” Scatterblade asked now concerned as well.

“No!” She laughed again, “it’s not poison. Just really sour.”

Illusory did not look like she believed Charlie one bit. “Are there not far better things that you could 'snack' on?” She was already starting to stream information from the internet and found that humans ate the strangest of things. She visibly cringed as her eyes grew distant – her downloading taking over her processes. Outside, her alt mode made the same strange whining sound as it had before – all of the rapid downloading was beginning to wear on her, but she simply couldn't resist.

Charlie consented, with a nod. “Well, it’s definitely not for a meal.” She paused seeing Illusory's face. “Illusory,” she asked, “are you okay?”

Scatterblade looked over at her and sighed. “Illusory. Snap out it. Let it load and look at it later,” he said.

Illusory's expression looked pained for a moment, before falling back to the distant look. “Hn,” was all she said as she absently walked to the couch, but did not sit down. Human dietary information was vast – even more-so than their laws or religions and she was quickly becoming overtaxed by the download. It was the greatest downside to the processor augmentation she illegally had done; sometimes, she simply could not stop it and there was a chance she could fry her whole system. She had come close many times before and this was far from the danger zone for her, but it was definitely becoming more hazard than benefit.

“Are you okay?” Charlie asked placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. She looked to Scatterblade.

“She’ll be okay,” he said nodding. “She just needs to rest her processor.”

Finally, the download slowed enough that she could push it aside. “I apologize,” she stated simply; her holoform grew inconsistent for a few moments before everything seemed to return to normal. She smiled at Charlie, hoping to reassure the human. “Human nutrition is a...large parameter search,” she offered as vague explanation. 

Charlie laughed with an exhausted and concerned tone. “I coulda told you that. Does this happen all the time?” She asked of the two.

Illusory looked slightly embarrassed; she hadn't allowed her small glitch to get the better of her in a long time either – she was simply not up to par this day. “No,” she said defensively.

Scatterblade bit his lip so he wouldn’t retort. Charlie nodded slowly also thinking she was lying but she merely chuckled some more at her new, odd, friend. “What exactly were you doing?” She asked not fully understanding what the femme had been doing.

“My trade, before I left Cybertron, was in information,” she very pointedly did not look at Scatterblade as she explained. “I gather large quantities whenever it is available to me, because it is hard to say what may be of interest. Your human 'internet' is an easy gathering place...I have simply become overwhelmed by the large amounts open for public review.”

“Wow.” It was weird to think they could learn and understand so much. Charlie sat down on the couch and looked up to them. It was wonderful to have someone here. She had several other roommates but they were away right now. “I still can’t believe this,” she said with a smile.

“Well it’s hard for me to accept too but-“ Scatterblade began.

“No,” she chuckled, “I can’t believe all this happened to me. I was just hiking and I stumbled upon Illusory. Then you showed up. It’s all been hard to take in, but so exciting! I’ve been trying to just not think about it.”

“Perhaps it would be better for you to not think of us as what we really are, simply...slightly abnormal humans.” Illusory settled on the couch beside Charlie. She was feeling tired, but didn't want to leave just yet. Recharge could wait a few more joors.

“But that’s just it. You’re not normal. To my standards, at least. You’re aliens,” she said looking up at them. “I’m alien to you. We have to make sure no one finds out about you. At least no one in the government.” She looked a tad embarrassed to automatically go straight to the top. “I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist but I’m pretty sure if there are more of you here, they already know. Probably not about you two but they do know about you as a species. That just leaves a question whether or not that’s a good thing.”

Scatterblade shook his head with a grin. “Illusory has a point. Don’t try to over process it.”

“Hn,” she agreed. “There is no need for you to worry about them finding us. At this point, I am almost positive that unless we do something to draw attention to ourselves, we will remain unnoticed.”

Scatterblade’s holoform paled. “Oh slag.”

“Slag?” Charlie repeated utterly confused.

“Slag is waste metal or the dross mineral left over from mining and smelting; usually used as meaning 'waste' or 'useless scrap' in our language and hardly a word that should be thrown about in the company of others.” She gave Scatterblade a withering look, though her processor was already trying to find what might have set the mech off.

He looked to her, forgetting his com link was down until his communication system scrawled errors over his vision. “The ‘Con. We just left him there. If they didn’t see his signature then we’re okay, but if they did?” He let the implication hang not knowing what to say. He felt like he’d spilled some secret he shouldn't have.

Charlie shook her head as if to clear away the sudden tirade. “Ok. Now I’m really confused.”

“Slag!” Illusory jumped to her feet, offered Charlie a brief look of alarm before her holoform vanished all together. Outside the sound of her engine could be heard roaring to life and her tires already screaming on the pavement.

“We’ll be back soon,” Scatterblade said quickly in a rather lame explanation. “Just don’t answer the door unless you know who it is.” With that he was gone, following after the femme.

Charlie tried to protest but they were both gone before she could utter a single word. She groaned and ran to the balcony to try and catch a glimpse of them. Where were they going? What was a ‘Con?

It seemed to hit her right then and she paled at the thought. The other group. Decepti-CON. She immediately went inside and closed the door. This was going to be one heck of an evening.

***

Illusory didn't have the exact location marked, but she remembered where she had been and how she had found Scatterblade – they would be able to go from there. Scatterblade sped after Illusory trusting her to find the deactivated Decepticon.

The closer they got to the canyon, however, the slower Illusory began to drive. 'No...no,no,no,no!' Her scanners were going haywire. “Scatterblade! We have a problem...”

Several miles ahead of them, the canyon road had been closed off and beyond that, just out of view, Illusory got the impression of many heavily armored human vehicles...along with a few spark signatures. She dampened her own signature as much as she could and stopped scanning immediately, not wanting to alert the other Cybertronians to her presence any more than they already had. “Dampen your spark, now!”

Scatterblade was way ahead of her having done so the minute he’d dismissed his holoform. He wasn't a sparkling, but he knew she had spoken out of concern and reasoning to it. He flashed his headlights once to her to let her know he had.

Illusory turned to a small off road and then drove deep into the forest. A thousand options running through her processor all at once. They had to find a place to hide and quickly. She took on her damaged look once more and settled herself against a tree near the river once she believed they had gone far enough; though she felt the distinct ping of several scanners looking for them.

“They are looking for us,” she whispered.

Scatterblade followed suit but a little ways away. He stayed still keeping his spark strictly dampened. If these were Autobots, he didn’t want to fight. He really didn’t want to be separated from Illusory either. So he sat still and tried to pretend to be nothing more than a long forgotten wrecked car.

The pings did not go away, instead, they seemed to grow more intense. Illusory cursed that Scatterblade's com. didn't work; she wouldn't be able to communicate with him until after the danger had passed.

Voices began drifting over the land; human voices – urgent and demanding as they drew closer.

“I'm getting radiation,” a voice declared.

Illusory didn't know what to do; should they run? Stay put? She was afraid for Scatterblade. She was a Neutral, likely she could talk her way to safety – the 'bots sparks registered as Autobots and they tended to _try_ and avoid destroying Neutrals, but Scatterblade's signature would surely have them both being shot at before they had a chance to say anything.

Scatterblade heard the voices as well. They were stuck. He was going to get Illusory into so much slag and he was at a loss as to what to do. He hated not fighting back but the fight would be pointless. If he had to just let them pound him, then so be it. As long as they didn't hurt the femme he could take it.

Soon the humans came over the rise and seeing the two wrecked looking cars, drew up short.

“There's a wreck, here!” One called out.

“That's no wreck,” another replied, holding a gun aimed at the vehicles, “they register as alien.”

“Why would they make themselves look like that?” Yet another said.

“Maybe they're damaged, that other one was confirmed as 'Con, so these might be the ones that took him down,” the first said.

“They're not moving,” the second pointed out, “maybe we should call in the big guys?”

“Maybe,” the first agreed.

Illusory tensed. What was she going to do? She had to do something! ::Neutral Illusory to any receiving Autobots in the area,:: she broke her com silence in favor of trying to save her comrade undo harm. ::Please, respond!::

The humans were drawing close and surrounding them. She was unsure of their weapons, but with the confidence in which they held them and the fact they were with Cybertronians, she knew that the weapons would not be harmless.

Scatterblade remained motionless hoping and praying that he could move fast enough to cover Illusory if the humans attacked.

::Autobots in the area! Please respond! I am a Neutral!:: Her anxiety was growing by leaps and bounds. Were they ignoring her? Were they not receiving the open com?

::Neutral Illusory, state your companions alignment.:: The unfamiliar voice demanded roughly, even as a familiar shape appeared in the distance.

::He is Scatterblade, an Autobot,:: this was going to go so poorly, she could already tell. 'Well, Scatterblade, I hope you are at least happy you get to see him before we are offlined...'

The large black armored mech came closer, a silver, sleeker looking mech close behind.

::Why are your sparks shielded?:: He demanded, ::and why does your companion not respond?::

::He was damaged,:: she rushed. ::We were in hiding...:: she hoped that the real fear she was feeling was enough to distract the mech from the not quite truths she was telling.

Scatterblade’s spark pulse increased. 'Oh great,' he mentally sighed, 'my hero’s gonna offline me. This bites, Primus,' he cursed to the heavens, still as motionless as ever, oblivious to the conversation that was happening.

“Reveal yourselves,” the black mech demanded. The humans all around looked ready to attack at any moment.

Illusory hesitated for several pulses of her spark before she began transforming. She was very small in comparison to the mech standing closest to them and several feet shorter than the other. She gave Scatterblade a nervous look before looking over all the humans and then back to the two mechs. “I ask for amnesty, for the both of us. I am a Neutral and take no part of your war and my friend...has been damaged enough.”

Scatterblade was still too cautious to speak. Part of him would admit he was downright terrified. He was also unwilling to let the dampener off his spark signal just yet.

“Show yourself!” The sliver mech demanded loudly, drawing his own weapon when Scatterblade did not drop his dampener.

Illusory stepped into a protective position between the two. “Please,” she looked to the black mech for help, “I told you, he's been damaged!”

“Sideswipe, stand down.” The black mech ordered, though he still looked skeptical.

“What's the deal here, Ironhide?” One of the humans called out, their weapons still trained on the two unfamiliar aliens.

“I don't believe these two are dangerous,” Ironhide stated after a moment of glaring.

Hearing his idol not give the order to fire gave him some courage. “If I do nothing but stand and drop the dampener will you try not to shoot at me?” He asked fearfully.

“Why would we shoot you?” Ironhide asked cautiously. Behind him Sideswipe tensed as if expecting something dangerous.

Illusory looked nervously at the two Autobots, but her mouth ran before she could think to stop it. “Because you will likely jump to conclusions that are incorrect...” she had, after all. Though, she hadn't had the chance to talk to Scatterblade before she picked up his spark signature.

Sideswipe's glare was chilling, but Illusory refused to back down, locking optics with the mech.

“Explain,” Ironhide demanded.

“I am an Autobot,” Scatterblade said more brave than before, “but my signature will not read as such. I was captured and they changed it.”

“Changed it?” Sideswipe snarled.

“How?” Ironhide spoke before the younger mech could go on.

Illusory still looked unsure of the two Autobots, but, at least they were talking. The likeliness of them ending up in a fight was quickly diminishing – or at least she hoped it was.

Scatterblade vented, “I don’t know. I can’t recall many of their…sessions,” he said miserably.

Ironhide nodded slightly. “Stand and drop your dampener. Don't make any sudden moves.”

The humans surrounding them grew more fidgety with the order, knowing that now was going to be the crucial moment between these new 'bots and the Autobots they already knew.

Illusory tensed also, prepared to do whatever it would take to help defend her comrade if things went poorly, but unsure how she would accomplish anything.

Scatterblade tried to eased his hammering spark. He released the dampener and stood blinking his optics, finally getting a good look at the two in front of him. The silver one looked very, very ticked.

Sideswipe moved forward aggressively, the only thing stopping him from making contact with the new mech was Ironhide's heavy arm blocking his path. “It's a Decepticon trick!”

“It's not uh trick!” Illusory blurted, her accent slipping back into her speech. “The Decepticons have used captured Autobots for experimentation, this is one of the side effects of their efforts!” She was venting hard, her spark pounding harshly in its casing. Everything inside her screamed to run – she wasn't a fighter, she was an informant; this close she stood little chance of escaping the two trained warriors.

She looked desperately to Scatterblade, hoping the mech had a better idea than she did.

“State your designation and previous assignment,” Ironhide ordered darkly, his optics mere slits of suspicion now.

Scatterblade held his ground showing no sign that he was to fight back. “Designation Scatterblade, front-liner. The team I was on was assigned to evacuate the asteroid mines, but things went bad. We were trying to find other teams for regroup, captured a few prisoners...but we were found. I was captured.”

“Hmm,” the large black mech still looked doubtful, but he made no aggressive actions toward the young stranger. “You will come with us, your story can be verified at base.”

“You're bringing him to base?” Sideswipe snapped incredulously. “What if he's a spy?”

Illusory strictly kept her mouth shut at this point. Nothing that popped into her processor was going to make their situation any better for them.

“And what if he is telling the truth?” Ironhide asked the silver warrior.

Sideswipe looked as though the mere thought of it was inconceivable, but did not say or do anything else.

Scatterblade felt alarm rush through him. “What of Illusory?” He asked, not wanting her to be alone. Of course she had Charlie but he didn’t want to leave her.

“The femme too,” Ironhide growled. “There's a war going on, it isn't safe to wander alone.”

“I am not alone,” Illusory replied darkly.

Sideswipe's suspicion switched from Scatterblade to the small white femme. “Who else is with you? More 'Cons?”

“No,” she snapped angrily. “But I hardly need Autobot company to keep me 'safe'.” The sarcasm in her voice was heavy and probably far from beneficial to the discussion.

“You don't have a choice,” Ironhide interrupted, obviously annoyed. “Humans require all 'bots on this planet to be registered with their government through our peace agreement with them. That means, Autobot, or Neutral, you are going to have to come with us – or be considered dangerous and eliminated.”

Illusory's thoughts had turned to Charlie several times through this relatively short ordeal, but now they were almost completely focused on the human they had run out on. She would be looking for them, wondering what had happened to them. How was she going to...'I have her number!' Illusory remembered.

Quickly opening a secure link she connected to the number Charlie had given her. She didn't know what she was going to tell the human, but she had to tell her something.

Charlie was sitting on her couch worried out of her mind. She was starting to dose off when her phone started yelling at her again. She jumped and scrambled for the phone. “Hello?” She asked a little groggily.

“Charlie,” Illusory started hesitantly. “I am sorry, but it appears that Scatterblade and myself will not be able to return for a while. I wanted to let you know, so you will not be concerned.”

Charlie’s shoulders sagged. “What do you mean? What happened? Are you alright?”

“We are unharmed at the moment,” Illusory couldn't help but to think that might not remain the case if she didn't make this quick. It appeared that the two mechs suspected she was making a transmission. “It appears that your government already knows of our kind and is currently working with some Autobots. They wish to take us in for 'registration'...” She really wasn't sure what that meant in this context, but she hoped it would be simple and allow her to return to Logan, Utah and to Charlie. “I...I will contact you whenever I am next able to, but I must go for now.”

Charlie was about to protest but she sighed with resignation. “Be careful.”

Illusory dropped the connection just as she felt a rather invasive scan sweep over her.

“No funny stuff,” Sideswipe warned as he indicated that the two 'bots should follow him.

Ironhide took a position behind them and the humans continued to surround the 'bots as a whole, weapons never leaving their hands, though they did relax quite a bit.

“Am I a prisoner?” Illusory asked somewhat defensively.

“No,” one of the humans actually responded. “We just have to be careful and since we don't know you guys – we have to keep our guard up. You understand, don't you?”

“Hn,” Illusory grunted disapprovingly.

Scatterblade followed, starting to dislike the silver mech. Part of his processor could understand the distrust solely because of his signature but his spark was really starting to wish he was in back as opposed to leading the way.

Once they were on the road, Sideswipe took on his alt mode and a rough order from Ironhide indicated that the other two should do the same. Several human vehicles came to surround them; going several miles ahead and behind them.

'Pit of a precaution,' Illusory thought, taking on her damaged alt mode.

Scatterblade obeyed falling into his Bonneville and keeping pace with their 'escorts'.

The envoy traveled for longer than Illusory thought reasonable, before they had to pause for the human cars to be refueled. She thought of her own diminished energy levels, but decided she was better off not saying anything about it. Instead, she chose to consider using what time they had to recharge.

The black mech’s thoughts couldn’t stay off of Charlie. He was angry that they had left without her but he knew that if they had brought her along she would be uprooted and never be able to go back to school. She would be stuck like they were now, in a war they wanted no part of.

When all the vehicles were refueled, the signal was given that they would continue. Illusory groaned as she was pulled from the recharge she had barely started.

“How far are we going?” She asked, somewhat reminiscent of a youngling bored with their travels already.

“To a secure facility in Nevada,” Ironhide told them.

Illusory accessed the internet to research the name. “Another state?” She could only think of the distance they would have to go and how tired she already was.

Scatterblade was glad to know that it was just one state over and not clear across the country, but he was still wary that if Charlie were in danger it would take a long time even if he was at his top speed to get to her in time.

It was well after dark when they finally arrived at the facility. Illusory and Scatterblade both found themselves rushed about, not allowed to shift from their alt modes and eventually directed to a rather small, reinforced hanger.

They had been scanned, asked several questions and then discarded – seemingly – to ponder their situation.

“Scatterblade?” Illusory asked once she was sure they were as alone as they would be for the next several joors. “How are you holding up?”

“I feel like I was tossed about like a bag of potatoes and I don’t even really know what potatoes are. I feel bad for them,” he said showing that his humor was still intact. “I’ve lost count of how many times I answered the same question.”

“Hn,” Illusory agreed. “I contacted Charlie before we were taken away – I informed her that we would not be returning for a while...” there was a heavy layer of sorrow in her voice as she spoke. “That is assuming they let us leave at all. Are you not pleased to be reunited with your faction, at least?”

Scatterblade vented heavily, “I suppose, but I don’t really know anyone. I thought if I ever found another team I would feel a little better...but bots can never be replaced.” He said sadly.

“No, I suppose not,” Illusory vented softly. “It has been...a very long cycle. I need to recharge.” She spoke as if it were an apology. “You should probably do the same. Who knows what will come next.”

Scatterblade laughed weakly, “I’m gonna need an entire orn of rest after this is over,” he too beginning his recharge cycle.


	6. Event Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Six**

~

_Illusions of knowing what one does not know can shatter the truths they build themselves on, scattering their being amongst reality...and deception._

_~_

 

Several joors passed, allowing the weary pair to rest before being disturbed yet again by a rather disgruntled looking mech.

“I am here to ensure that you are both in good functional order,” the medic grumbled as he approached. “I will have you come with me one at a time. You are in no danger,” he offered as some kind of assurance.

“I refuse,” Illusory snipped groggily. “As a Neutral, I have my rights to deny any aid from anyone. If you will keep me as a prisoner, that is on you – but I will not allow you to examine me at your whim.”

The medic seemed somewhat shocked as he looked over Illusory. “In the state you appear, I think a medical exam should be top on your priorities.”

“If it is,” she growled, “it will be of my choosing, not yours.”

“It would save time if I went first,” Scatterblade offered, too tired to argue and not too particularly wanting the Autobot medic go at it with the Neutral femme.

The medic nodded in agreement, though it was very clear that this argument was not finished. “Follow me,” he instructed.

He indicated that Scatterblade could take on his bipedal mode as they crossed to the facility's med bay. “Your designation is Scatterblade, correct?”

Scatterblade stretched his arms above his head as he worked out some of his kinks and stiffness. “Yes, I am, Doc.” He nodded to the older mech.

“I'm Ratchet,” the medic claimed by way of a rough introduction as they entered the building.

Scatterblade grinned knowing full well who this mech was. 

“Have a seat.” He pointed to a medical berth. “Ironhide tells me that you've been subjected to Decepticon experimentation,” he spared the mech a somewhat pitying look, though it was brief. “The more you can tell me about that, the better the chances are I might be able to undo what they have done to you.”

The black front-liner vented softly. “Not sure if you can reverse it, but I’ll show you anyway.” Nervously, Scatterblade shifted about a little, his internals working in ways he was sure they were never meant to, and after a few kliks, the pretender was standing on the berth beside him.

Ratchet stared for a few uncomprehending moments before it slowly began to dawn on him. “They did this to you?” He scanned both the mech and the human pretender he had produced. There was nothing alarming – other than the obvious – wrong with either.

The dark mech nodded. “They also disabled my com. link, navigation, and manipulated my spark signature,” he informed the medic. "Though disabled may be the simplest and nicest way to put it."

Nodding, Ratchet made note of the systems. “It may take me some time to repair your systems...as for the pretender, I cannot claim to know very much about the process of creating one, let alone undoing it, but I will investigate it.” He began pulling tools out, preparing to start working on the mech. “Your communications will be the easiest to repair, we'll begin with it.”

As the medic set to work, moving the mech as he needed without so much as a word of direction, he began questioning him about other things. “How long have you been on Earth?”

“About two years if I measured the Earth’s time keeping right,” he said with a grin. “I took on a lot of Earth vernacular to tick them off.”

“What do you know about the Decepticons here?”

“Not a whole lot,” he vented, “all I know is that some of their numbers were lower here recently. That’s how I was able to escape. I was with a small group of scientists. There were a few heavy grunts to keep an eye on me but they only left one to guard me when they all took off.”

Ratchet nodded, knowing exactly what had drawn out so many Decepticons. The battle in Egypt had shown them just how many more Decepticons had taken up residence on Earth that they had no clue about. “What about your companion? What is her story?”

“She’s…hard to read sometimes,” Scatterblade said a little discouraged that even though he’d spent time with Illusory he really knew very little about her. “She is neutral and just wants to be left in peace,” he said simply. “I can’t say I know her extremely well, just for a few orns. She wants this fighting to end. Quite frankly, I do too. We just have different ideas on how it will end.”

With a loud click and a whine of Scatterblade's systems, Ratchet stood back. “There, try to use your com. now.”

Despite the fact he had just told Ratchet how much he didn't know of her, Illusory was the first one he thought of to try to contact. ::Illusory, guess what just got fixed?::

::Good to hear!:: The relief in her voice was loud and clear. ::What about the rest of your systems?::

Ratchet waited expectantly for an answer from Scatterblade.

Scatterblade nodded to Ratchet, signaling the system was functioning. ::Still working on it. I’ll let you know when we’re done here.::

“Good,” Ratchet said before going on to the next thing. “You're spark signature is going to take quite some time to repair, I will have to put you in stasis. I will see what I can do about the pretender at that time. I would rather hold off on it until I'm sure you're fully energized and rested before we attempt anything.”

“Right,” Scatterblade agreed, though the idea of going into stasis made him feel a little uncomfortable. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ratchet, on the contrary he was relieved to have such a well known medic attending to him, but after everything the Decepticon scientists had done to him he was a little uneasy.

After a few more breems, the CMO seemed satisfied with the work. “You're navigation system should be functional now. I will escort you back to your hanger...” there was a hesitation to his voice that seemed to indicate he wasn't looking forward to what would follow.

Scatterblade nodded with a grim frown on his face plates. Things were about to get interesting again. He wished Illusory would just trust the medic and get it over with, but he was sure that she would need a lot of coaxing and convincing for her to do that.

When they arrived back at the hanger, Illusory was still sitting in her damaged alt mode looking as stubborn as possible.

“You're next,” Ratchet claimed, waiting expectantly.

“I am just fine, medic,” Illusory growled. “I do not require your assistance in any form.”

The dark mech looked between the two seeing the tension building like a plasma cannon charging. “You won’t even let him give you a once over?” He asked trying hard to not choose sides, though he couldn't help but to feel Illusory was being senselessly stubborn.

A low rumble in Illusory's engine conveyed just how deeply she felt about the prospect. “No.”

“Don't be ridiculous femme,” Ratchet snapped. “How long has it been since you've had a proper tune up? No harm will come to you, I just need to make sure you...”

“I said no!” She roared with a punctuating growl of her engine as she rolled further back into the hanger.

Scatterblade vented softly. “I think you may just want to let it go for now, Ratchet.”

“If that were an option, I would consider it. Unfortunately for you femme,” the mech stepped into the hanger, fully intending to take her with him, “it is an order from Prime that you both be checked for any dangers – both to yourselves and to us. It is nothing more than a basic check, you have no reason to be concerned.”

“Touch me, and I will consider it an attack on my person and act accordingly,” she warned.

Scatterblade was now officially worried. He crouched next to the femme, hoping that maybe she would listen to him if not to anyone else. “Illusory, please. Don’t do this. I know its hard for you to trust them, but please, don’t do anything rash.”

::If I let him examine me...they will lock me away for sure,:: she commed to Scatterblade.

Ratchet looked honestly surprised by the femme's declaration. “You would rather fight me than allow me to make sure you're in proper function?”

Scatterblade was confused by the femme's statement, though he felt a weight fall over him. He hadn't given any thought to why the femme might refuse examination other than she simply did not trust them to do so. ::Why would they lock you up?::

::Because I have an illegal augmentation to my processor,:: she admitted reluctantly. To the medic, her voice was far more assertive. “I would rather fight than sacrifice my rights as a Neutral in your foolish war.”

Something dark flashed over the medic's face. “An exam is hardly forcing you to take up a weapon,” he growled.

Scatterblade was at a loss. He didn’t want to snitch on Illusory but he also didn’t want them to start fighting physically, the verbal battle was bad enough. ::We’re not on Cybertron anymore. Do you really think they'll care about an augment? Should it really matter?:: He tried to reason with her one last time.

::Should it? No. Will it? I am a security risk, and once they discover that, it is very unlikely they will overlook that fact...:: she hesitated as though there were more to it than that, but she didn't elaborate any further. “It might as well be,” she told the medic, just as fiercely as she had spoken before.

Illusory was already looking for a way out, not that there was anything that had appeared as an escape since her first attempts to find something upon their arrival here, but she was feeling the familiar sensation of being trapped, and needed escape. Her alt form trembled with the mounting anxiety which did nothing to convince Ratchet that his efforts were pointless.

“If you are afraid, I can conduct a simple exam here. Scatterblade is your companion, I'm sure he wouldn't allow me to do anything to harm you.”

“I said no, medic!” Her anger was rising, and her anxiety following suit. “Just leave me be and I will sit here quietly until you decide to let me return to my life.” She partially regretted the words, feeling they were a declaration of leaving Scatterblade behind.

“I can't clear you to leave until you let me make sure you are medically fit!” Ratchet retorted, looking frustrated with the whole thing. If she were a prisoner, he could just ignore her protests and do as he had to do despite her obvious discomfort. If she were an Autobot soldier, he could order her to submit, but as a Neutral, he had to have her permission to go forward unless he had undeniable proof that the femme needed medical attention. His hands were effectively tied.

Scatterblade felt like he was about to make a mistake, but he simply couldn't let this go on. ::There’s no saying they will lock you away. Please let him do it here. You could hold him to a confidentiality contract.::

::You really think that is going to stop him?!:: The outraged disbelief in her voice fully reflected the tremors running through her frame. ::He's an Autobot, an' Ah'm uh danger ta them! He'll tell his Prime an' that'll beh th' end fer meh!:: Her bumper hit the back wall of the hanger, and it seemed that was the final proof of just how trapped she was, triggering her transformation. She stood in her bipedal mode, inching for where her blaster was hidden in her leg. “Then Ah'm uh prisoner?” She challenged, not seeming to even be aware of slipping to her old accent.

Ratchet was surprised by the change in her speech, but his alarm for her actions captured more of his focus. “Don't do anything foolish,” he warned.

Scatterblade felt panic and anger at himself for having said anything. He was never good with words when it really counted. “Illusory please, I have no idea how to make you believe that he’s not going to hurt you!” He placed his hands on her shoulders gently, hoping he could deter her from doing what she seemed to be planning. “Please, if you can’t trust them, then trust me!”

Illusory shifted nervously. She was trapped here, there really was nothing she could do aside from getting herself shot and that wouldn't change anything. With a deep intake she moved her hand away from her leg, and slowly vented the air from her systems. “Very well,” she gave, sounding fully defeated. ::I am trusting in you, not them,:: she told Scatterblade almost angrily.

Not wanting to take the chance the femme would change her mind again, Ratchet immediately started his scans. He found her to be in relatively good condition – perhaps a little lower on energon than he would have liked to see, but being a neutral and on such a secluded planet as this, her access to energon was likely limited. It wasn't until his scans reached her processor that he thought he understood the real reason behind her unwillingness to cooperate. “You've had processor alterations...”

“Yes,” she agreed.

“You're download inhibitors are damaged.”

“No, they're not,” she glared at the medic, knowing it wasn't going to take him long to make the final connection.

She was correct. “That is incredibly dangerous!”

“It is fine.”

“No, it isn't! Did the hack that did this to you explain what could happen to you?”

“It does not matter now, what is done, is done...” She looked nervously between the medic and Scatterblade.

Scatterblade's momentary relief was quickly degrading into a new panic. He looked to the medic hoping against hope that he wasn’t about to bring Illusory’s fears to pass.

“You intentionally had the alteration,” Ratchet realized, his conclusions coming quickly. “You're a spy.”

“Informant,” she said, as though 'spy' were derogatory. “And I have not practiced my trade in a while...not since I left Cybertron to the fate of your war.”

Ratchet didn't look like he entirely believed the femme, but he didn't make any further action. Finishing his scans he gave the two 'bots a studying glare.

Scatterblade met the medic’s stare with a determined look.

“Stay here,” Ratchet ordered before turning. “I will be back.”

Illusory waited until the CMO was gone, and then vented hard before falling to the ground. “This is going to end badly...for both of us.” She shook her head before burying her face in her hands. “I am sorry Scatterblade, but this will likely reflect poorly on you.”

He joined the femme on the floor. “Honestly, I don’t give a scrap,” he said softly. His relief was turning to exhaustion. "Just glad you didn't kick his skidplate," he laughed weakly.

Groaning, Illusory looked over at Scatterblade. “My fight is all talk, I promise. I tend to shoot and run...well, I guess you know that.”

Scatterblade laughed at the memory. “That I do,” he said not able to keep the smile off his face.

“Now what?” She asked emptily. “They will not allow me to go now, I am sure of it. What will you do?” It wasn't an accusing question, just simple curiosity.

Scatterblade thought about this, his smile fading. He was not much of a public speaker and he tended to let his emotions take over at times, point in case what happened just a few kilks ago. “I’ll stand up for you. I’ll talk with them. I’m going to do what I can to help you,” he said firmly.

Illusory smiled, leaning back against the wall. “I appreciate your willingness to try, but do not sacrifice your chances to rejoin your faction by siding with me. Deny anything you know of me.” She vented softly. “I will not hold it against you.”

The mech shuttered his optics. “You do remember when I said I barely know these mechs? I don’t know if this is what I want anymore,” he vented looking down at the ground. “To be honest I’ve never really known what I wanted.”

“Why not?” She was tired, but conversation was more appealing at the moment. They had no idea what would happen next – whether they had a few joors, or only a few breems. Illusory felt certain they would be separated now and she would be treated with all the kindness of a traitor, while Scatterblade would have some meager attempt at saving himself from much the same fate, so long as he denied her as a companion. Either way, she wanted to know more about him before anything worse happened.

Scatterblade thought about the question, once he had tried to figure out the same thing for himself. He had always just done what seemed like the right thing, even if he didn't feel like it was what he was meant to do. Maybe it was something that he just wasn't supposed to know, or maybe there was something stopping him from figuring it out. “As a soldier, I always followed orders. I did what others told me to do. I used my judgment and common sense but I always did as I was told. When our team was attacked, I did the opposite of everything the ‘Cons said. Or disregarded them entirely. I felt free even though I was imprisoned. When I escaped it magnified tenfold. I was able to do anything I wanted to do. I was finally able to take into consideration what I really wanted. Being here kicked my old military-self back in and it felt strange. Like I was trying to slip back into a form I could no longer fit.”

“Then...perhaps you no longer wish to be an Autobot?” There was hope in her voice, but not in her optics. If Scatterblade disregarded his alignment, he would find himself in much worse of a situation than he was currently.

Scatterblade had thought about that as well. “I think I figured out what I want in that account. If I don’t say I’m an Autobot, then I might as well say I’m not Cybertronian. Now, I know you’re not going to like that but its the truth,” he said matter of factually.

“I may not care for the factions,” she vented again, “but you have the right to choose for yourself, so long as you are choosing for yourself and for no one else. Too many were never given an option, or felt they had no option.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said sadly, “I still have a grudge against the ‘Cons for what happened. I’m getting over the pretender thing, but I'll never forgive them for my team. I could fight as a Neutral but I think being an Autobot or calling myself an Autobot gives me that drive to do what needs to be done. It reminds me that I still have connection to my teammates even though they're gone. Part of it, I guess, is because I want to uphold their memory. The ‘Cons came outta nowhere and they didn’t deserve what happened to them. The other part because I want to. I admit at first it was because I felt I had no choice, but now I just feel that its what's right.”

“Hn,” Illusory sat up finally looking at Scatterblade fully. “I suppose I can respect that,” she didn't sound as though she liked it at all. “Autobots are not nearly as bad as the Decepticons, I will admit.”

Before she could say anything further, the door to their hanger slammed open and a medium sized mech sporting a black and white paint scheme, and a red chevron on his head, stormed in, grabbing Illusory's arm and hauling her rather bodily out, where he was joined by a red and white mech of similar build, and a tall, slender blue mech.

Illusory barely had time enough to start screaming her outrage before she was out and the door slammed behind her.

Scatterblade nearly flew through the ceiling. He slammed his fists onto the door. “Open this door!” He demanded. “Illusory!!! Slag it open the door!!” He pulled out his energon swords and started hacking at the hanger door.

Moments later the door opened once more, the imposing figure of Ironhide blocking its opening. “Cool your gears youngling,” he warned dangerously. Behind him stood Sideswipe and a gold mech that looked very similar to the silver front-liner. “Your femme is fine, for the time being. They are only going to ask her some questions.”

Scatterblade vented heavily and sheathed his swords. “Would you people stop calling her that!” He fumed angrily. “Her designation is Illusory.” He was panicked and trying desperately not to let that panic rule his actions.

“She's also a spy,” the golden mech snarled stormily, Sideswipe seeming to be in full agreement with him. “What dealings have you had with her?”

“Keep in mind,” Sideswipe added, “your answer may seal your fate.”

“Sideswipe, Sunstreaker,” Ironhide growled, “mute it. The fe...Illusory...has not been condemned of anything.” He returned his attention to the black mech in front of him. “We do want to ask you some more questions about her, I recommend you answer as honestly as you can.”

Scatterblade glared at the two mechs but nodded to Ironhide. “As honestly as I can,” he affirmed.

Ironhide nodded, motioning that the two front-liners wait outside while he went in, shutting the door behind him. “Where did you meet her?”

“In the Logan Canyon in Utah,” he said shortly. He promised to answer honestly he never promised thoroughly. A part of him felt bad that he was treating the old warrior this way but he was still angry with the silver and gold mechs.

“So you had no knowledge of her before arriving on Earth? No previous dealings?” Ironhide shifted into a slightly more relaxed position, though no less imposing. He had been hoping for better cooperation, but he couldn't blame the mech for his temper. At least, not yet.

“No,” he said trying to calm down, “I was running from a Decepticon, the same one you found deactivated in the forest.”

The weapons specialist gained a rather dark, doubtful look. “Did she come to your aid?”

“No, she shot at me. Once,” he added as though it made all the difference. “She was afraid she would be discovered by ‘Cons. I couldn’t blame her though. With my signature altered like it is, she didn't know I’m not a ‘Con.”

“She shot at you?” Ironhide sounded surprised. “How did you go from shooting at each other to hiding together?”

“Like I said, she thought I was a ‘Con. I figured out pretty quick that she was alone. Frankly, I didn’t want to be alone. So it seemed like a good idea, and it has been. We kept each other sane. A ‘bot can only take so much solitude.”

Nodding, though still keeping an air of disbelief, the mech moved on. “What has she told you about herself, and her dealings?”

Scatterblade shook his head, “I don’t know much of her. She never really told me much. She probably knows more of me than I of her.”

Finally, a look of belief found it's way to Ironhide's face. “Good. That may well be you're saving grace in all of this.” With that, the large mech turned to leave.

“Hey! Wait a kilk,” he said following after him. “She has a good spark, that I do know. She isn’t a threat to you. Like she said she hasn’t been in her occupation for a long time. Can’t a ‘bot repent?”

Ironhide paused, glancing over his shoulder to the smaller mech. “A spy is a spy,” he said darkly. “The only thing worse than a spy, is a Neutral spy – you can never know who they're working for.” With that he left, not offering Scatterblade a chance to question him further.

The younger mech felt his spark pause for way too long at the statement.

After the mech left, Sactterblade released the air trapped in his vents. His shoulders slumped and he stumbled backward, exhaustion fully claiming him, adding to his panic. His back hit the wall and he slid to the ground.

She had trusted him. She had trusted him and he let her down.

It was several joors before Scatterblade's guilt filled solitude was interrupted again.

The doors to the hanger were pulled open, and Illusory stumbled back into the hanger, looking rather dazed, but otherwise unharmed. The mechs that had returned her held her long enough to be sure she wouldn't fall before retreating from the hanger and shutting the door behind them without saying a word. They were two different mechs than any of the ones that had retrieved her; one was tall and red, looking sharp at nearly every point possible, the other was only slightly larger than Illusory and silver, a visor blocking his optics from view. Neither looked too pleased with the femme's condition – or perhaps it was with the femme herself – but it seemed they had no interest in doing anything about it.

Looking for all the world like she was lost, Illusory looked around the hanger with wide optics. When she finally seemed to see Scatterblade, she vented loudly and let her legs give out beneath her.

The mech rushed to her and caught her tired frame before she hit the ground. He eased them both to sit. “Illusory?” He asked softly, “Illusory, what happened? Are you alright?” Pushing back his panic, he looked her over as best he could. She didn't look harmed, but it was clear she needed his full attention.

“I-I'm alright,” she didn't sound sure of it herself. “You?”

“I’m fine,” he dismissed the question quickly. “What happened?” he asked again this time more firmly.

“They wanted to know what I know,” she whispered. “I told them my information would be outdated, but they did not care,” she sounded honestly mournful. “I tried to warn them not to tap my systems, but they would not listen. Fools!” Now she was angry. “They deserve what they got...” she groaned, her whole frame shivering. “My...my processor augmentation prevents anyone from tapping my information, and instead...” she wasn't sure she wanted to reveal anything to the mech beside her. He was already in enough trouble, without adding her on top of it. “One of their interrogators will be down for several orns,” she finally decided. “They...were not pleased with me, to say the least.”

Scatterblade was shocked. Anger mixed with worry as he took it all in. Anger at the ‘bots for having hurt her and worry for the revelation she had shed. He didn’t speak but held her, his arms still wrapped around her.

Illusory vented heavily, sagging against Scatterblade. “I am sorry, but I fear that you will not be treated well for having known me.”

The mech shook his head venting softly. “I don’t care, you’re my friend. It may not have been a long friendship but it is still a friendship.”

After a few breems, Illusory sat up crawling away far enough to take on her alt mode. “I think I need some recharge before they regroup,” she grunted before the clear sounds of systems settling down took over.

Scatterblade scooted toward the wall opposite her, following her example. His systems needed the recharge as well, and with everything spinning around in his processor as it was, he could use the downtime.

Several joors went by, leaving the two 'bots to their rest. However, when the doors slammed open again they were hardly given a chance to pull themselves from their recharge before they were blocked from one another by several mechs.

Ratchet approached the femme, accessing one of her ports before she could protest. “I am locking you in your alt mode for now,” he informed her roughly as he initiated the lock.

“Stop!” Illusory screamed.

“Your augmentation has been deemed harmful to yourself and to those around you,”

“Ya can't!” She struggled with the lockdown, trying to brake the coding.

Scatterblade jumped to his bipedal mode. “What are you doing?” He demanded.

“Stand down,” Ironhide warned, stepping a little closer to the smaller mech. “We will not hurt her.” Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and the red mech that had been one of the ones to return Illusory to the hanger stood shoulder to shoulder behind the large weapons specialist.

As Ratchet worked on the femme, she continued to scream – both with fear and with anger – until the medic stated he was going to download a limiter program.

“No, stop!” She demanded. “Ya don't know what yer doin'!”

The young black mech felt drawn forward. His programing to obey orders was trying to keep him where he was, but his spark screamed to help the femme. While he may not have been able to defy orders outright, he didn’t have to stay quiet. “You don’t know what that will do to her!” He barked, adding to the femme's pleas.

Ironhide glanced over his shoulder doubtfully, but held his ground.

When the download began, it was immediately clear that things were not going as planned.

“Slag,” Ratchet cursed, reaching for the port-tap he had connected to the femme, only to freeze midway through the motion.

Illusory's frame grew very still, the odd whining noise that she had made before when researching started deep in her core, then growing to a loud screech.

“What's goin' on?” The red mech asked the medic worriedly.

“Is he...glitching?” Sideswipe asked, taking a step toward the medic.

“If anyone else on this base is a medic, you better find them now,” Scatterblade said dumbfounded by the outcome that was unfolding before them. “I told you, you have no idea what you’re getting into.”

“How did you know that?” Ironhide asked accusingly, even as he motioned for Sunstreaker to go get someone. The gold mech was gone in a flash, barely closing the door behind him in his rush.

Ratchet's frame began shivering, and the pitch of the whine coming from Illusory continued to climb in volume.

“I don’t know!” He nearly yelled just to be heard over the whine. “I was trusting Illusory.” His face plates locked into a frown staring down the larger mech.

Slowly, Ratchet began moving again, though it appeared to take a lot of effort on his side. His hand gripped the tap, but it was clear he did not have the control to disconnect it.

“Should we do somethin'?” The red mech asked, nervously reaching for the medic's hand.

Ironhide looked frustrated. “Pull the fraggin' cord!” He shouted.

The red mech obliged, and as soon as the connection was broken the medic collapsed with a loud grunt. Illusory's systems continued to whine for a few kliks longer before winding down; her frame began trembling violently.

“Ratchet?” Ironhide called to the medic, but made no move toward him.

The red mech and Sideswipe flanked the CMO and helped him back to his feet.

“Download...” the medic stammered, “d-d-didn't work,” he finished, trying to stand on his own but stumbled and was caught between the two younger mechs again.

Scatterblade vented trying to calm his hammering spark. He looked at all the mechs then to Illusory. The femme had been still, and quiet, and for some reason he felt that was odd. He expected her to be screaming at them for what they had done to her, but she just...sat there.

“What happened?” Ironhide demanded, finally moving from his position in front of Scatterblade to approach the still femme. “Is it sabotage?”

The smaller black mech growled inwardly in frustration but didn’t speak. It was going to be just as hard to convince them that she wasn’t a threat as it was to convince her that she was going to be okay, and look how that had turned out for her. He vented again. All of this was just _wrong_.

The weapons specialist's cannon came online, aiming for the femme threateningly. “Answer femme!” He growled.

“STOP!” Ratchet was able to stand long enough to smack the cannon away. “It wasn't her fault,” he managed to growl before he stumbled again. Sideswipe and the red mech were quick to help the medic back to his feet again.

Ironhide was extremely unhappy with the CMO's actions. “What are you talking about, medic? We all saw what she did to you!”

“Get out of my way,” Ratchet growled, shoving the two younger mechs away and kneeling beside the femme's still form. “She has no inhibitors...I probably did more damage to her than she did to me.”

“What?” Had Scatterblade been human, he would have paled at the comment. He was relieved that Ratchet wasn’t angry; that he was trying to help her, but his worry for Illusory wouldn’t let him rejoice in that small progress just yet.

Sparing only a faint glance, Ratchet started working on the femme. “She didn't tell you about her processor augmentation,” it was a statement, not a question. “It was made illegal on Cybertron for a reason. There's far too many risks. Like not being able to stop downloading once she starts...” he grumbled the last part rather disgruntled.

“Rapid download? I thought that was just a made up thing.” Sideswipe asked, staring at the femme as if she weren't real.

“She did tell me. I’ve seen how she can’t stop,” the younger mech said. It was true he didn’t know much of the treatment and what could happen because of it, but she had told him.

“Femme,” Ratchet spoke loudly, but not angrily. “Respond.”

“Frag you,” Illusory whispered unhappily, her voice clearly indicating she wasn't quite all there.

“Wait, wait,” Sideswipe stepped back a little with his disbelief. “So there really _is_ such a thing? And 'bot's really get it? What the frag was she thinking?”

Scatterblade glared at the silver mech but kept his comments to himself. He was curious why Illusory would do something that seemed so foolish.

“She's the only one who can answer that,” Ratchet grunted, sitting back, his own systems still trying to recover.

The door slammed open again, a blue mech rushing through. “What happened? Ratchet!” His focus was immediately on the downed medic.

“I'm fine Jolt, just a little backlash,” Ratchet dismissed the younger medic easily.

“A little? A little backlash has you stumbling around like Dino after he finds my High Grade?” Sideswipe accused. “You nearly got fragged medic.”

Ratchet vented with frustration. “I'm fine,” he repeated.

The younger black mech felt relief start to percolate into his systems. At this point he decided that Ratchet was Primus-sent, and that perhaps things stood a chance at coming out alright after all. “Do you think Illusory will be okay?”

“As long as she's allowed time to recover,” he glared at Ironhide, daring him to challenge his prognosis any.

“What about orders?” Ironhide asked.

“It can wait until I can work on her properly. The download isn't going to correct this.”

The other mechs stared blankly; none of them knew what 'orders' were, only that they were there to prevent any violence, and Jolt was only concerned with his CMO's condition.

“What order?” Scatterblade asked quietly. It didn’t sound like Illusory was going to like it. He didn’t like it either.

Ironhide only gave the young mech a semi-sympathetic look before ordering the others out.

Ratchet stood, using Dino's offered hand for support. “It's better if you just don't ask.”

Scatterblade felt as if he was going to fall again. This was going strip gears for sure and he had no comeback to help him feel better. Looking to Illusory once more, he could even feel his optics dimming.

Soon, all the invaders had left the hanger, leaving Illusory and Scatterblade alone once more.

“I knew it,” Illusory grumbled groggily. “They're just like 'Cons when it comes to things they can't control.”

Scatterblade was going to protest but he just dropped to his knees and sat on the ground. “I think I need a long stasis nap,” he said leaning against the wall. He then vented hoping he hadn’t sounded like a glitch. “Do you think it would help you too, to get some rest?”

“Ah don' think anythin' can help meh now,” she mumbled, already falling into recharge.

The mech vented shuttering his optics. He had truly failed her. There was no more he could say, no more he could do. He began his power down as well.


	7. Event Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Seven**

~

_Searching for hope within the veil of scattered illusions. Keep your eyes closed and listen to the voice within._

_~_

 

It was less than a joor before their peace was disturbed yet again. However, this time there was only one 'bot entering – a small silver mech with a blue visor over his eyes. He looked back out the door, as if seeing who was paying attention before sliding it closed again. He was quiet, smooth, and focused on Illusory.

Scatterblade’s systems alerted him to the intrusion and he immediately stood to his bipedal mode. “What do you want? You mechs have already done enough,” he growled.

The mech held up his hands in a placating manner. “Hold on, hold on. Ah just wanna talk ta her is all.”

The black mech glared at the smaller 'bot, watching his every move. He had no idea who this silver mech was and he was having a hard time trying to decide if the mech was trustworthy through his anger.

Moving closer to the recharging femme, keeping his movements slow and purposeful, the mech knelt down close to her and put one hand on her hood. “Hey, Lu, ya in there?”

For a while, it seemed Illusory would not answer, but after a moment, her groggy voice responded. “I told you not to call me that, Jazz.” Her frame rocked a little. “That damned medic, I hope his processor glitches every time he shutters his optics. What do you want?”

“Thought Ah could repay uh favor, Ah know Ah owe ya uh few.”

“And what is it you can do for me? You will not disobey your Prime, I already know that.”

“Yer right, Ah won't, but that don't mean Ah can't lend ya uh hand. Ah have uh download fer ya ta take,” he tapped his hand against her hood again. “Just make sure it stays buried in all that info ya hacked b'fore.”

Scatterblade shuttered his optics in confusion at the exchange between the two. It seemed almost familiar...friendly. “Wait, you already know each other?”

“Uh, sorta,” Jazz shrugged. “Lu was one o' muh informants back on Cybertron. Good spark in this one.” He smiled as he stood back up, his download delivered.

Scatterblade relaxed glad to know at least one bot was trying to help her. It was still hardly an answer to their problem but it was good to see a friendly gesture. Even if he didn’t understand what it meant.  Feeling a little less threatened, Scatterblade went to a corner and sat. He needed to rest visitor or no and Illusory didn't seem to be concerned that this mech – Jazz – was there.

“You had deep subspace pockets, Jazz, that is the only reason I visited you so often.”

“Eh,” the silver mech chuckled, “uh few creds ta chat with ya never seemed like uh bad investment.”

“My information was good.” Illusory's voice clearly held a smirk.

“That it was,” Jazz agreed. Then, switching from an amused reminiscent look to something far more serious, he studied the femme as if there were some physical answer to his yet unasked question. “It's not like ya ta get yerself trapped, Lu, what's goin' on?”

“I...” Illusory grunted angrily, “I was caught of guard, is all.”

“And yer escape plan is?”

“Mine,” she snapped.

Jazz smiled, and shrugged again. “Can't blame uh mech fer tryin'.” He took one last look around the hanger, taking in the condition of the two 'bots for a moment before leaving them in peace. “Get some rest, Ratch'll be back before long.”

The black mech nodded, still angry with himself at what had happened before. At least Ratchet hadn't blamed Illusory for it, but still; he wasn't so sure he wanted the medic coming back.

Once everything settled down, Illusory opened the download Jazz had given her, reversing the coding locking her into her alt mode. “Scatterblade,” she started as she took on her bipedal mode, “I cannot stay here. My processor alteration has assured that I will not be welcomed.”

“Yes,” he said gravely, “I know. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, they have not taken our weapons yet...we are not officially prisoners I suppose, though locking me in my alt mode might as well be the same thing. They are hardly going to allow me to just walk away; Neutral or not.” She partially pulled her blaster as proof, looking at it as though she hated and loved it all at the same time.

The mech did not like the prospect of fighting. They were his faction after all, it seemed senseless; however, he felt that letting the femme endure the treatment they were putting her through was just as senseless.

Putting one hand over his shoulder, reaching for one his swords, Scatterblade decided that he sided with Illusory at this point and he would do what he needed to do to help her. “I hope I don’t have to use this,” he said with a touch of regret. If he attacked he would be thrown in the brig as a traitor; if he was lucky.

A somewhat shaded look crossed Illusory's face. “Perhaps...you do not have to. As far as the Autobots know, you are on their side...” she left the statement open, hoping Scatterblade might follow her train of thought.

He dropped his hand. “Maybe I could walk you off,” he said with a little bit of a smile. “Was I even close?” He joked, trying to disperse some of the tension that he felt building at the femme's statement.

Illusory smiled, but it was not with humor though she tried to let some kindness show. “They will not shoot at an ally,” she pointed out. “If I take you as a hostage,” she didn't like the sound of her plan, but it was what little she could think of clearly. There were far more Autobots here than the two of them could likely handle alone – but if they thought Scatterblade was on their side, and she had taken him against his will, likely they would stay their weapons long enough for her to make an escape, leaving Scatterblade safe to choose his own path.

Scatterblade actually laughed, sure that the femme was joking. “You’re not kidding,” he said after a moment. He sobered, shaking his head. “You’re going to have to make it very interesting and I will fight back,” he pointed out.

“As you should,” she nodded curtly, already trying to solidify her plan. “Take nothing personally.”

He shook his head matter of factually, “Of course not,” he said hoping he could make it convincing on his part. The femme was smaller than he was and not outfitted to fight. She was obviously designed for speed, not hand to hand.

Illusory hated the part of herself that told her this was all okay, that it was the right thing to do, but what choice did she have? The Autobots would not trust her – as rightly they shouldn't – and she had no other options available to her.

With a heavy vent, she folded herself back into her alt mode. “How dare you!” She shouted angrily, revving her engine as loudly as she could. “You lied! You said I would be safe!” She made sure to make as many loud, stressful sounds as she could with her alt mode, making it sound like she was trying to transform and couldn't.

Scatterblade was initially hurt by her words, his own guilt feeding right into it. He told himself she didn't really mean it, that she was just laying down the foundation of her plan, but the little voice in the back of his processor that refused to shut up whispered that she meant it. He let it fuel his actions and words...maybe they could make this believable after all.

“I thought I understood what was going to happen” he barked, his hurt shining through easily. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I never expected anything like that to happen! I’m sorry!”

“These are your _comrades_? Your fellow soldiers?” She slammed her rear bumper into the wall violently.

The noises had immediately alerted soldiers – both of human and Autobot kind – to the trouble brewing in the hanger they had locked the two unfamiliar 'bots in. The humans began running around, grabbing weapons and setting up parameters, while the Autobots came rushing to stop a disaster before it started.

“These are your _Autobots?_ ” Illusory continued angrily. “I told you; Autobots and Decepticons – there _is_ no difference!”

“There _is_ a difference and if you’re too afraid to learn it then you don’t deserve to be here,” Scatterblade snapped a little too convincingly. “I didn’t want this to happen to you! You’re my friend!” He vented loudly. “This fighting isn’t going to take us anywhere!”

Sensing that things were as ripe as they would likely come to be, Illusory revved her engine harshly, rushing toward the black mech in an all out – vehicle based – attack. “I will show you were fighting takes you!” She screamed.

At that moment, the door to their hanger burst open, three mechs all trying to enter at the same time; Ironhide at the forefront, Sideswipe to his left and Sunstreaker to his right. Behind them, Dino and Ratchet could be clearly seen, and glimpses of several others. All had weapons at the ready and were preparing to lock onto her.

Taking that moment to transform into her bipedal mode, she knew she would only buy herself scant kliks, and pushed herself from the ground so that she was flying above Scatterblade's head.

The mech took the blow, attempting to look as surprised as all the others. He ducked his head as she flew toward the mechs blocking her path. In the flurry of movements he completely forgot to pull his swords from their sheaths and at the same time almost forgot that this was part of the plan.

Illusory allowed momentum to do most of the work for her; as she went over Scatterblade's head, she struck out at Ironhide's massive guns, knocking them off target, and into the two front-liners flanking him. At the same time, she gripped Scatterblade's back plating, using him to stop herself from going too far, and also force the mech to face the Autobots coming in after her. She pulled her blaster and shoved it rather forcefully under one audio, where a single shot – even from her low level weapon – would completely annihilate the mech's processor.

“If you bastards value his life,” she hissed dangerously, “you will release me.”

The Autobots stared in various states of shock and outrage, but no one moved.

Scatterblade tried not to move, nervous and a little afraid.  “What are you doing?” he said for the ‘bots benefits, though the slight tremor in his voice was not intentional. Even he couldn't be one hundred percent sure the femme didn't mean to harm him at this point.

“I am saving my own aft, because no one else will,” she said darkly, harshly, but she loosened her grip slightly on his back plating, hoping to convey she didn't truly mean it.

“Illusory, don't do this!” Ratchet pushed past the angered weaponized mechs in front of him. “We mean you no harm...”

“You locked me in my alt form!” She roared, true anger biting through her facade. “You damn near fragged my processor _twice_ because you scrapped bits of slag would not _listen_ to me! Ah'm uh fraggin _Neutral!_ ” She growled as her accent slipped through. “Let me go in peace, or I will destroy him.” She managed to get her tone down to a deadly soft monotone.

The black mech eyed the ‘bots, hoping against hope that her tone was just for show. If all of this really was just acting, just a facade to get what she wanted, she was doing much better than he was.

The crowd began to part, and Illusory held hope that this not-very-well-thought-out plan was actually going to work...until she saw the massive form filling the gap. The red and blue armor was bright, and imposing all at once as luminous azure optics gazed at her with compassion and sorrow.

“Femme, we cannot free you,” the mech's voice rumbled.

Illusory's grip on Scatterblade tightened, so much so her own joints creaked with the stress of it. Her whole frame grew rigid, and she pressed herself as close to Scatterblade as she could physically manage.

“Frag me,” she whispered nervously. Of all the 'bots that had to be _here_... “Prime...” No one but Scatterblade would have heard her words, but it seemed her reaction was enough to encourage the other mechs to gloat slightly. Knowing grins spread like a virus among them, save for a very few; Ratchet, Jazz, and the blue mech that had been with the three that had taken Illusory the first time.

Scatterblade looked up at the Prime. He was seeing the illustrious mech for the first time. How he wished it had been under better circumstances.

“Get out of my way, Prime...I do not care who you are, you are not going to hold me as a captive!”

The regal mech knelt down so he could give the two 'bots a more on level look. His optics were calm, but there was a faint hint of ridgedness in his frame. “Neutral Informant Illusory, am I correct?”

She wanted to say no, but she couldn't. Instead, she just stayed silent.

“And missing Autobot Front-liner Scatterblade; it is good to see you survived, young warrior.” The tone of the Autobot leader's voice was that of great relief.

Scatterblade was surprised the Prime knew his name. It had occurred to him that the information would have been passed on but it was very humbling to hear it from such a mech. His optics shifted to Illusory at the side of her head and back to the large leader.

“I regret that you have been brought here on such poor terms, and I offer you the knowledge that if it were just between us, as Autobots, and you, as a Neutral, then we would not have held you against your will. However, on this planet, we are guests, and our hosts are not as willing to accept that which comes with being a Neutral among us. They fear that you are a danger to them.” Looking over his shoulder to where the humans soldiers stood at the ready not far beyond the mechs crowding the door, Optimus nodded. “We cannot let you move freely on this planet because it is a danger to you; unidentified 'bots are neutralized first, and analyzed second. Without an Autobot spark signature, you are in danger; both of you.” The mech explained.

Illusory was lost. They would not let her go...could not. What was she to do? Remain a prisoner? “I will not be your victim,” she stated boldly, though all the fight had left her voice.

“We never intended as such.”

“Your medic wants to frag with my processor!” Her fight returned remembering the mentioned 'orders' from before. “You ordered it!”

Optimus – by no comprehension on Illusory's part – looked ashamed. “Your processor augmentation is dangerous to yourself, and to those around you; my orders stand.”

Scatterblade tried so hard not to break what was left of Illusory’s escape plan, but his fear of what she would do had faded. The only thing that remained now was fear _for_ her, for his friend.

Illusory searched for some form of protest, some rebuttal that would save her from what she was feeling closing in around her, but she was finding nothing. She even ventured as far as to search the crowd of mechs for some inspiration, and turned up more nothing...including an oddly noted disappearance of a dark blue mech that had just been there a moment before.

She prepared to argue further, but yipped instead as her blaster arm was wrenched roughly from its position, and twisted painfully, throwing her to the ground and pinning her there. Looking for who had dared sneak up on her, Illusory found _more_ nothing, until a waving, shimmering look shuffled through the air and the dark blue mech appeared once more.

“Target has been neutralized, Optimus Prime.”

Almost everyone appeared relieved that the most tense part of this predicament was over; the Neutral was not dangerous any more. A few rushed forward to pull Scatterblade away from the obviously violent femme.

Scatterblade was confused by the sudden surge of motion, stumbling as Illusory was torn from his back and struggled to regain balance at being pulled away by the concerned mechs that grabbed at him. He found himself on the ground before all the movement was done.

“Be easy, Mirage,” Optimus ordered.

“Let meh go!” Illusory shrieked. She struggled against the weight of the mech pinning her, but between her already low energy levels, her own exhaustion, and her lack of real combat ability, she didn't stand a chance.

“Cease struggling femme, you are not going anywhere,” Mirage stated confidently.

Optimus vented as he stood up once more. “I apologize,” he said sorrowfully, “but what must be done, must be done. Ratchet?” He glanced to his CMO before indicating that Mirage and two others should escort the femme.

Scatterblade pulled himself off the ground, looking up the Prime, his concern for the femme overriding anything else he might have been thinking. “Please tell me what’s going on? Will she be okay?” He was so tired of the deception from the faction he had trusted in. Illusory was right to not trust them if this was how they treated 'bots that weren't signed on with them.

Mirage hefted the femme from the ground, ignoring Scatterblade all together. The red and white mech, and the black and white mech flanked him immediately, both with grim looks on their faceplates.

Optimus looked to Scatterblade, offering a nod of assurance. “She will be fine, of that I can promise.”

“Fine?” Illusory snapped, still struggling against Mirage's grip. “They're going to frag with my processor! How is that going to be 'fine'?” She twisted so that she could glare at the Prime. “You are no better than Megatron!” She growled, earning herself a rather harsh strike from the red and white mech, and rather dark looks from the others surrounding them.

“Lu,” Jazz warned, earning himself some rather surprised looks from his comrades, but he said nothing more.

No one spoke up to offer any reassurances, or any better explanation. Illusory's struggles grew more desperate. “Don't let them do this!” She begged.

Scatterblade didn't know what to do. He was free, in a manner of speaking, no one tried to hold him back, yet he couldn't command his limbs to act. He wanted to stop them, to help her...but he couldn't. Not with Prime standing right there; his programming simply wouldn't allow it. The Prime's words offered him a small amount of relief, but the femme’s screams were agonizing.

The three mechs escorted Illusory out of the hanger, several others following along, leaving Scatterblade with Optimus, Ratchet, and Jazz.

Optimus offered the younger mech a reassuring smile. “Do not worry for her, she is afraid, but she will come to no harm. It is for her own good, and the only way we will be able to allow her to remain a free Neutral on this planet,” he explained.

“It will not be a simple procedure,” Ratchet stated, giving his leader an look of semi-disapproval. “The augmentation has many firewalls to it. Her fears are not unfounded.”

The Autobot leader nodded in understanding, but said nothing more as he left, Ratchet following behind. Jazz remained, looking as though he had no intention of leaving any time soon.

“Ah can't believe they're doin' this,” he shook his head. “It's not like Optimus...but th' humans don't really give him much o' uh choice. Either he forces this on her, or they're likely ta find uh reason ta lock her up.”

Scatterblade shook his head, not understanding. “The humans?” He hadn’t even thought they were part of the equation.

Jazz nodded. “Yeah. See, they let us stay here with conditions; most o' 'em aren't so bad, but some o' 'em just don't know when ta stop. Unfortunately, uh lot 'o those ones are ones in places 'o power.” The silver mech shrugged, finding a spot against the wall to lean. “Optimus insists on respectin' their wishes as best we can without turnin' one o' our own over to 'em fer experimentation. It's kinda uh rough spot ta be.”

The young mech had never really thought of it like that. If anyone was to blame in this situation, it was the humans’ paranoia and the Prime's inflated sense of respect to sentient creatures, but it wasn’t like Scatterblade to post blame. It was unnecessary as far as he was concerned. Blaming someone wouldn't stop what was happening. It wouldn't fix what had been done...still, he felt for Illusory's sake he could let a little blame settle inside him.

His thoughts turned to Illusory. Wondering if she would indeed be “fine”. He wasn’t sure how he would be able to talk to her.

“Yer pretty close ta her?”

Jazz's question snapped him out of his thoughts. “I...” he chuckled, realizing how far his thoughts had taken him from the here and now. “It’s only been a little while. We barely know each other.” Why was he trying to talk himself out of it? He liked her. She was…growing on him? Something like that. He liked having her around, she was nice. Well, when she wasn't trying to use him as a bartering tool that was. “I just hope she’ll be able to still talk to me. That she won’t be angry for my not being able to help her.”

“Eh,” the silver mech offered a half smile, “Lu's good at holdin' uh grudge...but, Ah don' think ya got much ta worry 'bout. She knows 'n ally when she finds one.”

Scatterblade vented deeply. “I hope so,” he said softly.

Jazz stayed with Scatterblade, giving the mech someone to talk to, mostly steering the conversation towards pleasant times – avoiding the subject of Scatterblade's capture by the Decepticons, and what was happening to Illusory now.

The first mech to return was Ratchet, a grim look on his faceplates. He refused to let anyone else follow him in, and gave Jazz a pointed look.

“Guess that's muh sign,” he said, offering Scatterblade a friendly pat on the shoulder as he moved to leave.

Scatterblade envied Jazz the right to leave when he wished. He was tired of being in the hanger. “Can I go outside for a minute? I’m gonna end up doing donuts in here,” he pleaded.

Jazz laughed at the image as he slipped out of the hanger, but Ratchet looked far less amused.

“After I speak with you, I'm sure we can arrange something.” The medic made sure the door was closed before turning back to the young front-liner. “Illusory's procedure did not go as planned,” he began, “but she is alright. I could not rebuild the inhibitors in her information codings – I couldn't even buffer them.” He vented heavily. “Whoever did that to her knew exactly what they were doing; her systems frag any kind of preventative I can put in place. I'm telling you this because...” Ratchet paused, looking around the hanger as if he expected someone might be listening. “I put a temporary block on all of her systems, but it will not last and there is nothing I can do about that, however, it will be reported that the 'danger' has been neutralized. I do not believe that she will be willing to listen to anyone here, but she may listen to you. She will be well advised to act as though the procedure was successful.”

“So I tell her it didn’t work?” He asked slowly so as to make sure he understood.

“But to act as though it did,” Ratchet nodded.

“Then what? I still have fraggin’ ‘Con signature.” He didn’t put any resentment in the statement toward Ratchet.

At that Ratchet smiled a little. “We'll take care of that next. I just want to be sure that Illusory is under control before taking you out of commission for any amount of time.”

Scatterblade nodded, then his faceplates shifted into an expression of confusion. “Out of …commission?” He wasn't exactly afraid, still the terminology sounded a little...concerning.

“Yes, in order to correct what they have done, you will have to be put in stasis for a time, and there will likely be a recovery period after. Dealing with sparks is never 'simple'.” The medic sounded confident, and not in the least concerned about what had to be done, only stating fact.

The young mech nodded still with a twinge of nervousness. “Thank you, Ratchet,” he said softly.

“It really is the least I can do after all the troubles you and your companion have been through on our part,” the medic straightened for a moment. “They are bringing her back now; I would appreciate it if you would speak with her, and I will talk to Optimus about allowing both of you some time outside of this hanger.”

“I will,” Scatterblade nodded.

The medic nodded again and turned to open the doors for those that were coming.

Slung between Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, Illusory looked like a small rag doll. They set her on the floor gently. She sat there, trembling slightly and looking lost.

Ratchet gave her one last scan before ushering the other two out. He gave Scatterblade a sympathetic look before leaving himself.

Just outside, Jazz looked in, annoyed concern clear on his face. Then the door was closed and the two were left alone.

Scatterblade sat down beside her placing a hand on her shoulder. “Illusory can you hear me?”

Illusory jumped at the contact, looking up at the mech beside her with wide eyes. “Its so...what did they do to me?” Her voice trembled as she spoke. “I can't connect!”

“Its a temporary block,” he said trying to sound like he knew what he was talking about. “It’ll go away on its own. Listen I need to tell you something.”

“Temporary?” She was hopeful. “He was in my head!” She almost immediately switched to rage, though her voice still trembled and she was still obviously not all together there.

“No, he wasn’t,” he said glad he could get a word in, “he said it didn’t work. Nothing is going to take it from you. He couldn’t get in,” he stressed.

She didn't look like she believed him at first, but as she looked at him, searching his optics for truth, she relaxed a little. “I...I am afraid. What if he lied to you too?”

::Why would he?:: he commed just in case they would be listened in on, ::He’s lying to the humans for you. We might be able to leave.::

She looked relieved to receive the com., but at the same time, what little hope she had fled her completely. ::You really think they would just...let us go? Let me go? When their interrogator tapped my systems – I downloaded terabytes of information before they disconnected him; same with their medic. I now have information that could do them a lot of harm, and they know it. And that's on top of knowing what I used to do on Cybertron; which I am sure they have figured out by now.::

::Optimus said if they didn’t have to abide by human laws than a Neutral would have never been treated this way. Only time will tell if they will let us go. I still have to get my signal changed.:: He was worried about the spy part of who she was. ::Is there a way for your to delete information? Excess stuff that you don’t need?:: he asked.

She looked at him as though he had just asked her to sever her own limbs. “What?!”

He held his servos up in surrender. “Okay! Sorry! Never mind, forget it. Just trying to help.”

“I am sorry,” she vented softly. “I am just a little on edge you might say...I cannot even access my own information, let alone delete it.” She shook her head. ::I know you are only trying to be helpful...I think you may be the only one I trust here.:: She commed, not wanting anyone to overhear just in case they intended to use them against each other.

::Ratchet said the block is temporary,:: he said having pushed aside the anger she had dealt him. ::You’ll get it back soon. Not sure how soon. He just said the block will not hold. Whoever did that did a pretty slagging good job.:: He felt sad that she couldn’t trust them all. Then again he didn’t trust them all either, only trusted a select few. ::I understand.::

Pulling herself together, Illusory leaned her head on her knees. Everything was spinning and she felt ill, but she tried to believe in Scatterblade. He had some faith in what he had been told...and Ratchet had tried to be kind with her, even if she had kicked him in the faceplates... “Wait...” she remembered something Scatterblade had said, “You are getting your spark signature changed?” She looked concerned by the idea. “You will have to be put in stasis for that, won't you?”

He looked down at the ground nodding, then looked to her. “Yeah,” he said shortly.

Illusory attempted to hide her alarm at the thought of being left alone with the Autobots. “That...that will be good for you,” she tried to smile. “You will be fully Autobot again. When...is that going to take place?”

“Not till you’re feeling better,” he said then amending considering what panic was coursing through her, “at least a little better.”

Laughter took over the femme. Was she being selfish in her relief that she knew she would at least have some time before she had to face time without Scatterblade at her side? “So waiting forever is not an option?” She joked. Her discomfort settling a bit more.

Scatterblade laughed as well letting the feeling wash over him. “No, I can wait for a while, but not forever,” he agreed with a smile.

“What happens now?” Illusory asked, raising her head – instantly regretting it as everything spun. She put her hands on her head, trying to stop the sensation.

“You for one, need recharge,” he said matter of factually. “As do I. Ratchet said he’d try and see if we can get out of this hanger for bit. It’ll be a good way to pass the time,” he said still exhausted from the interrupted naps he’d tried to have.

Illusory couldn't help but agree, her systems were begging for recharge, but she was afraid that if she fell to it again, that she would just be caught off guard and hauled away again. “Yeah,” she agreed aloud. She didn't even have it in her to transform into her alt mode, so she just lay out on the floor, shuttering her optics. Recharge, however, was not coming to her.

Scatterblade eyed her sadly not knowing how to help her. “Is there anything I can do for you?” He asked hoping the direct approach was going to work.

Shaking her head a little, Illusory made herself as comfortable as possible. “Just, get some recharge Scatterblade...before they come back.”

The mech nodded too lazy or tired to shift to his Bonneville alt mode. He sprawled himself out on the ground and shuttered his optics.

Illusory waited until she was sure Scatterblade was fully in recharge before she sat up again. Her wiring was simply too frayed to allow her to recharge, so she decided to spend the time trying to brake the block on her systems. It was frustrating to her, but she could feel the block weakening.

~*~

Ever since the experiments Scatterblade had been having dreams. It wasn't like he had never had a few before, but these were vivid and sometimes extremely hard to differentiate from real life until it was over and he was fully online.

In this particular dream he was in his pretender. He felt extremely naked like he always did, but something was missing. He felt as if the rest of his body had just vanished. He had no idea where he had left himself or why?

He was in school with Charlie but the images were distorted and for some reason there were Decepticons – very tiny, the same height as his pretender form – that roamed the hallways as if it were an every day thing. It didn’t make any sense.

The images were not corresponding to their true counterparts and it was frightening. He knew logically that this shouldn’t scare him, but when a very tiny Starscream waved to him and gave him a friendly pat on the back he felt like running away screaming.


	8. Event Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Eight**

~

_Sometimes the closed door is the illusion and the one that remains open is the one that waits to shatter your world apart, scattering any hope you had at keeping your sanity._

_~_

 

Illusory had just started to feel that, perhaps, she could find recharge after all, when the hanger door slid open again. Startled, she jumped to her feet and scrambled to get behind Scatterblade. A part of her felt ashamed for putting the recharging mech between herself and any danger that might have been coming, but a larger part of her reasoned that the Autobots seemed to accept him as one of them – for the most part – and wouldn't harm him needlessly to get to her.

The mech that came in was blue, similar in color to Mirage, but not the vanishing mech. Illusory faintly remembered him from Ratchet's med bay, but she couldn't place a name at this time.

Looking at the two of them, the mech appeared somewhat disappointed in Illusory's reaction, but said nothing of it. “I brought energon for you both, I'm sure you're in critical need of it.” He spoke softly, so as not to disturb the recharging mech.

When Illusory did not move, or speak, the blue mech set two containers on the ground in front of him.

Scatterblade was alerted by the movement, coming online to see Illusory scramble behind him like a scared youngling. His optics opened but he stayed where he lay. He saw Jolt standing there with two containers, but hadn’t registered what had been said. All he knew was that Illusory was behind him and this mech was in front of him.  He offered Jolt a short wave as a greeting before pushing himself up into sit.

“Good, your online,” the young medic smiled at the front-liner. “How are you feeling?” His question seemed heavy, carrying more than just the simple query of Scatterblade's condition. His optics shifted slightly to the femme cowering behind the mech for a moment.

Illusory sank lower behind Scatterblade, trying to keep away from the medic's optics.

“Doing well,” he said. “Just getting recharge seems to be hard around here,” he joked, a smile evident on his faceplates.

Jolt nodded in understanding. “This should be the last time you will be disturbed for a while. You should both drink and recharge,” again his optics switched to the femme hiding behind the larger mech with much the same results as before. A frown darkened his look as he scanned them both. “I'll make sure you're not bothered for at least a good cycle.”

Scatterblade nodded a thanks to him though he didn’t understand the frown that followed the scans. He decided that it would eventually be shared and he was still too tired to ask questions anyway.

Once Jolt was gone, the tension in Illusory flooded away from her, leaving her weak and sagging. “I am sorry, I should not have hidden behind you,” she whispered softly. “I simply cannot face _them_ right now.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” he said with a chuckle, “I don't mind. It’s gonna be okay.”

“Hn, I wish I could believe you.” She vented heavily before getting to her feet and retrieving the energon cubes left for them. “Here,” she offered one to Scatterblade as she sat beside him again, holding the other close to her face but not drinking.

Scatterblade’s smile faded. He wished she could trust him on this, but so much had happened he was sure it would take a miracle to make her believe the Autobots wouldn't willingly harm her. He didn’t want to force the idea on her, so he would just have to be content with what he had. Taking the cube he took a deep thankful drink from it, dearly needing the fuel.

After a moment, Illusory drank slowly, enjoying the energon. It wasn't the best, by far, but it was easily some of the best she had consumed in a long time – and likely some of the best the Autobots had with them. If there was one thing she did know about the faction, it was that they tended to be fair about what they shared.

True to his word, the two 'bots were left to themselves for quite some time. Illusory finally fell into recharge sitting against a wall still holding the now empty cube. Her systems purred softly, doing their best to apply the replenished fuel and shifting through her recharge cycle.

Scatterblade slipped into a dreamless recharge which was fine by him. The energon was plenty enough to help him and he was grateful for it.  When he came back online he stood stretching the kinks in his limbs and getting some of his movement back.

Illusory remained in recharge for quite some time, all the stress and everything else having piled up on her and demanding that she take extra time to recharge her systems.

It was a respectable time later when the doors finally opened again, and Ratchet entered. The medic spared a cautious look to the still recharging femme before turning to Scatterblade. “How is she handling it?” He asked bluntly.

The mech looked up to the medic. “She’s resting. Other than that I don’t really know,” he said shortly. He would be the first to deny it but the distrust she had for the ‘bots was starting to rub off on him.

“I suppose that is more than what I can ask for at this point,” the CMO vented, then his frame relaxed a good deal. “I have spoken with Optimus, he agreed to let the two of you have some time out of this hanger, but it will have to be during this planet's off-cycle to prevent any...accidents with the humans.”

“Night works fine,” he said allowing a small smile to show, “Cooler that way. We have had our share of overheating for a very long time,” he sighed. “Metaphorically speaking,” he added softly.

Ratchet nodded, glanced at the femme one more time, and then turned to leave. “It will still be a few Earth hours, but someone will come direct you to where you may go.”

A short time after the medic left, Illusory finally stirred from her recharge. At first, she tensed, seeming unaware of her surroundings, and then she relaxed. “Seems I finally found the will to recharge,” she moaned as she stretched her limbs as hard as she could.

Scatterblade smiled. “I did too. Feels good to finally have a full recharge.” He settled back down on the floor as he spoke. “Ratchet came by, he said we can go outside for a while. Gotta wait till nightfall, but at least it’ll be fresh air.”

Illusory perked up at his words. “Really?” A shadow of a thought crossed her faceplates before she masked it with simple relief.

“Yeah,” he said with a smile, “It’s gonna be a well needed break. Hanger’s roomy and all,” he relented, “but you gotta be able to move around.”

“Precisely,” Illusory agreed. She thought on the freedom of being out from under a roof, and away from walls surrounding her. She was beginning to deeply miss her orns of simply sitting as a wreck in the Logan Canyon forest. “I wonder how Charlie is doing. I feel horrible for how we ran off on her.”

Scatterblade’s shoulders slumped and he vented softly. “I do, too. I don’t think it’d be a smart idea to try and talk to her just yet. Maybe after we’ve gotten at least a little bit of trust coming our way. But yeah, I do feel bad that we just bolted off.”

The femme let her head tip in acknowledgment, but the look of longing did not leave her. “Trust,” she grunted a little – a half disbelieving and half wistful sound, “that is something long gone on my part...but I am sure that you still stand a chance.” She smiled to show that she wasn't trying to be as serious as she sounded.

The mech nodded truly hoping she would be able to trust them at some point. It would be a long time coming or not at all but he could wish. He smiled to her. “I’ll do my best.”

Illusory's smile gained some honesty to it at Scatterblade's words. As much as she felt out of place here, and despite some of her more vehement feelings towards the 'bots that held them captive; Scatterblade belonged with them, and if she could like him? Well, maybe she could find it in her to like them too...maybe.

The Earth hours passed by slowly, allowing the two 'bots to chat for a time before, as promised, someone came to show them where they would spend their 'outdoor' time.

Ironhide's dark glare did not go unnoticed by the femme as she passed the bulky mech, but she deemed him not worth her attention and simply moved to where she was told to go.

The younger black mech was starting to grow wary of his 'hero' and that weighed heavily on his spark. He had hoped to get to know Ironhide someday – the fact that they were both here on Earth, on the same base even, was amazing – but the old warrior was starting to get on his nerves. His front-liner programing would not let him be disrespectful. However, he kept himself between Illusory and the large weapons specialist whenever he could.

When they reached the indicated area – a rather barren strip of land, but a fair sized one at least – the large black mech pointed out a few boarders to them. “Behave,” he warned as if scolding younglings. “I won't be far, so if you try anything...” His optics were fixed on Illusory as he gave his parting warning.

“You'd never catch me...” Illusory grumbled under her breath, too soft for the mech to hear, but enough for him to discern that she had retorted.

Giving a heavy vent, she wandered off over the land, trying to think exactly how she wanted to spend what time they were given.

Scatterblade nodded to Ironhide curtly, though he wanted to smack the disapproval from his faceplate. He turned and followed Illusory, lifting his head to stare at the sky, a small part of him trying to pinpoint where their home would be in the vast expanse of the night.

After some time had passed, and they had moved quite a distance from where Ironhide kept a rather keen vigil, Illusory turned to Scatterblade. “You know I am really sorry for all the horrible things I said to you earlier, right? And for what I did. I should have known that it would never have worked.”

He laughed softly, waving it off as nothing. “I do understand it wasn’t real, I know that. It was worth a try,” he said with a slight shrug. “I thought it would work,” he grinned.

A weary smile crossed her face. “You also know...that I am likely to try again...right?”

Scatterblade stopped short at her words. Honestly shocked to hear her say such a thing. “Really? Why?” Hadn't she learned from this experience? There were far more 'bots on this base than she would ever be able to defeat; especially given her non-combatant status and civilian grade armor.

Illusory gave the mech a rather astonished look. “Look at what they have done to me!” She held out her arms as though there were some visible damage. “The way they look at me! I am nothing but a liability to them. A Neutral spy!” She huffed indignantly. “I doubt they are through trying to disable my 'program', they just do not know how to do it yet.” Turning from the mech, she turned her face to the sky. “It is no different than before, only now I have no backup plan to save my aft.”

“Hey,” he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm the femme. “Sorry, I’m a little thick sometimes. I’m sorry, I should be more understanding. I was…” he paused to think over what he wanted to say next. “I don’t want them to do that to you again.”

“It ain't yer fault.” She vented, her frame trembling ever so slightly. “I just do not want you to take offense to whatever I may do. I...honestly mean you no harm, but they are unlikely to retaliate against you and I would like to keep it that way.”

Scatterblade took her words to spark and nodded his approval. “I don’t want to see you get hurt,” he said slowly. “I won’t take whatever you do personally, but like I said before,… please be careful.”

She smiled, turning her optics towards one of the imposed boarders. “As careful as I ever am,” she assured him.

Before anything further could happen, Ironhide's deep voice rumbled out to them. “Time to go back!”

Illusory huffed with annoyance. “Yes, caretaker...” she grumbled, though she did not turn back right away. She studied the landscape for a good few kliks before turning to head back.

Scatterblade rolled his optics at the order, feeling very much like the youngling Illusory was imitating, but followed after the femme when she finally did turn to go.

There was an obvious hesitance in Illusory's progress, as if she were trying to decide whether to go back, as she had been instructed, or to run. Her optics kept shifting over the area, looking for something that would provide her some hope of escape, but it seemed nothing availed itself as she continued forward.

They were escorted back to their hanger, passing very few humans on their way, but those they did pass were on their guard.

'I could take one of them hostage,' she thought to herself, debating how that might turn out for her. The high chances of failure and slim chances of success kept her from making the attempt. Well, that and the fact that she had liked all the humans she had really had a chance to meet, she really didn't want to scare, or accidentally harm one of them for her own gain.

Once they were back within the hanger, and Ironhide had been sure that it locked behind them, the femme flopped onto the floor listlessly. “Something has to change,” she grumbled. “I have not been a youngling for several vorns, I do not like being treated as one. I think I would prefer being an outright prisoner instead.”

The mech was at a loss of what to say. His previous attempts to raise her spirits, or to at least comfort her, had been futile. What was he to do if she did try to escape again? He wanted so badly to help her but everything he tried was pointless. Or at least it seemed that way. He leaned against the wall and stared at the floor still unsure of what to say to change her mind, even though in the back of his processor he knew he would need a miracle to do that.

Illusory grumbled something unintelligible and got back to her feet. She was soon pacing the perimeter of the hanger, thinking as she did, trying to decide what her next move would be. She could think of simple things, but they all failed even in her processor. It wasn't like she was facing incompetent 'bots; these were soldiers – Prime's soldiers, they wouldn't be so easily deceived.

Scatterblade looked up to her every once in a while hoping he could say something, anything, but often found the words catching in his vocalizer before he could ever voice them. Her frustration was clearly visible, almost palpable, and he could almost hear the sound of her processor trying to come up with some plan. “Is there anything I can do?” he finally blurted. He immediately felt like he had set his foot down on the wrong path but he didn’t care, he just couldn't stand idle while this femme worked herself into a meltdown.

Pausing in her pacing, a thought occurred to her. “Convince them to leave me alone for a while.”

Scatterblade nodded all different kinds of conclusions that this could cause swarming his processor. “Think they might separate us,” he thought aloud, grateful to have something to say. He hated the silence that was filling the hanger between them.

Seeming satisfied with this, Illusory sat down, the rest of her own plan growing in her mind. It was a long shot, but it was far better than anything else she could come up with. “Thank you,” she offered softly.

Seeing that the femme was going to go back to her silent plotting, Scatterblade settled himself into a comfortable position. “Think I’ll get some more recharge in,” he said shifting to his alt mode and settling in further.

Illusory tipped her head in acknowledgment, but otherwise remained trapped in her thoughts.

Late the next day, Ratchet slipped into the hanger, the image of Ironhide lurking just beyond blocked as the door shut behind him. He was not happy with Illusory's instant reaction of seeking shelter behind Scatterblade, but he tried not to pay it much attention.

“I just came to check on everything here, make sure you are both still fully functional,” he stated, scanning them both.

“Hardly,” Illusory snarked quietly.

Scatterblade rumbled his engine showing he was awake and could hear them.

Ratchet vented roughly at Illusory's comment. “I would like to assess you, Scatterblade, a little further so that I can prepare to fix your spark resonance. If you don't mind,” he offered the last part as an afterthought.

Illusory grew even more tense behind Scatterblade, but she didn't say anything.

The mech took his time before standing. “Alright,” he said shortly.

Turning to open the door, the medic waited for Scatterblade to follow. Ironhide just beyond glared at those within.

He looked to Illusory and nodded to her with confidence, as if he could convey that she would be safe even if he wasn't there. “I’m coming,” he said to Ratchet.

Ratchet led the front-liner from the hanger, nodding to Ironhide as they passed. The larger black mech shut the door behind them, and settled himself to stand guard.

“She's not a prisoner, Ironhide,” Ratchet scolded.

“Doesn't mean I trust her,” Ironhide replied sharply.

“She’s been shown little to trust you either,” Scatterblade mumbled as he passed the old mech.

“I don't care if she trusts me,” Ironhide growled.

Ratchet huffed with annoyance but said nothing else, encouraging Scatterblade to follow.

"My point is you have to show trust to get trust," was all he said before following Ratchet.

As they walked, he let his optics wonder to the inhabitants of the base. Several humans roamed the base, giving the two mechs momentary glances, some offered some greeting to Ratchet, but most still looked weary of Scatterblade. Not outright distrustful, just unfamiliar.

One man came trotting up to the CMO, waving a hand to indicate he wanted to talk with him. “Hey, Ratchet? Any news on that girl-'bot?” The man looked to Scatterblade, a semi-hopeful look on his face.

The medic knelt down to speak with the man a little easier. “She is still very distrustful of us, and I can't blame her for that. Ironhide is doing little to help the situation.”

“But you think she'll join us, right?”

With that question, both the medic and the human turned their gazes to Scatterblade.

The mech wanted to laugh at their hopeful looks but he held it in. If only they knew how hopeless the very idea was. “She doesn’t want to be a part of anything. She wants to stay out of it,” he said simply though he was happy at least someone was showing him some kindness. He was starting to believe that 'kindness' had become a victim of the fragging war.

The human sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess I can understand that...but I thought all of you were a part of this anyway?”

“No,” Ratchet explained, his own crestfallen look hidden as he turned back to the human. “As Optimus explained before, there are Neutrals out there.”

“He also said she trafficked information...that doesn't really sound neutral to me.”

Ratchet gave an indication that he wasn't entirely sure how to explain it to the human. In an ideal war – because there ever was such a thing – Neutrals would have been able to remain completely neutral; they wouldn't have to struggle to survive, and someone like Illusory never would have existed, but unfortunately it was all too common for a Neutral to find some way to sustain themselves by means of the war. “Things are not that simple.”

“Didn’t the Swiss have assassins and spies even though they were neutral in many different wars?” Scatterblade asked hoping to make this correlation.

The man looked surprised, then nodded. “Yeah, I guess they did,” he agreed. “So, there's no hope of it then?” He sounded highly disappointed as he asked.

“We have not given up all hope just yet, Will,” Ratchet vented. “Much damage has been done, and I don't know how we will repair it.”

Scatterblade nodded in agreement. There was much to be done but they really had no idea how to go about it. It was part of the reason why she was planning yet another escape.  “Well, you can't expect to just keep telling her to trust us and have her take it at face value. We need a plan,” he said, some form of hope that maybe they could help Illusory see that things weren't as grim as she felt they were. “She has it in her mind that no one can be trusted. It’s a miracle I was able to befriend her.”

Ratchet seemed hopeful that Scatterblade was joining in on the conversation to help the femme trust them; however, he seemed confused. “How _did_ you manage such a thing if she doesn't trust anyone?”

He thought about it for a moment; about the situation they had both been in at the time, before he replied. “She’d been alone for quite some time. She craved companionship. Illusory let me tag along because I didn’t judge her. I appreciated that she didn’t judge me either, with the whole signature thing.”

“Hm,” Ratchet considered the information for a moment before shaking his head. “I don't think that will help us with her.”

“And obviously not judging her isn't an option,” Will added with a rather dark look back toward the hanger the femme still resided in, a dark figure still looming in front of the door. “Ironhide just doesn't trust her one bit...”

“None of us do, entirely,” the medic admitted hesitantly. “Her previous dealings are known enough to make it difficult to.”

“But you want us to?” Will said with some alarm. “Make up your mind, Ratchet.”

Scatterblade vented in frustration. There was no way for them to see her for who she truly was. Though at times he wondered if he even knew her as well as he thought; there was much she wouldn’t tell him. In the back of his processor he was completely fine with this. There were some things that just didn’t matter, but her previous function was something that was going to keep them from trusting her and it was a rightful fear. He didn’t know if he could say anything to make them see her in a good light. “What can be done?” He finally asked. “What does she have to do for you to trust her? If she were allowed to leave you’d never hear from her again. She’d never be a problem.”

“Until humans found out she was an alien,” Will added somewhat disappointed with his own race. “There may be some of us that are all fine and good with you guys; like us here, but there's a large part of the populace that would...well, anything from riot with fear to try and hunt her down for experimentation. Unfortunately it just isn't safe...even if she's on her best behavior.”

Ratchet nodded his agreement. “And besides that, it would be in violation with our contract with the human governments. All 'bots are to be accounted for; or, if they resist...taken care of.” The medic shared a similar look to Will's previous one. He hated the thought of simply destroying 'bots, or to eject them from the planet simply because they did not agree with the terms of the contract. Sure, most of the difficult 'bots would all be Decepticons; they hadn't considered the idea of Neutrals arriving on the planet as well.

Scatterblade vented in frustration, “I don’t know how to convince her that choosing a side isn’t the worst thing that could happen to her. She’s convinced that the war is pointless and choosing a faction is just as pointless. Maybe if I explain to her that in order for her to be left alone she’d have to choose a side, but the breem I do tell her, she’ll bite my head off. I don’t know what to tell her or how to make her see.”

“Maybe,” Will sounded as though he had found a treasure, a possibility that for some reason hadn't occurred to him, but was so simple, “maybe if we can strike a contract with her? I mean, she's essentially a 'free agent', right? What if N.E.S.T. offers her a contract? She would have to be paired with a human, but at least she would still be considered accounted for...and maybe she'd help us out?”

Ratchet looked doubtful. “I don't expect a contract with her will run cheep,” he warned. “She was one of the higher priced informants on Cybertron...but she was good at it.” Then his optics narrowed in pure disapproval. “At least now we know how she was able to glean so much information so quickly...” he didn't mention how the modification was still in place, or how it couldn't be removed or even blocked due to her very sensitive firewalls, but it was written clearly on his face for the other mech to read. As far as the humans knew, the dangerous mod had been taken care of.

Scatterblade was grateful to Ratchet that the information hadn’t been shared. The last thing he needed was for there to be more complications. “I’ll tell her about it. She really just wants to be left alone. She isn’t an informant anymore.”

With everyone seeming to be content with the next step in trying to contain the femme, Ratchet offered a parting nod to Will, who waved back as he moved back to whatever it was he was doing.

“Come on, let's get you taken care of. It shouldn't take long, and we'll set a time for a few cycles down the line to begin the process. I was hoping Illusory might be more comfortable around others by then, but her current reactions make that hope seem doubtful.”

Scatterblade waved to the human thankful that someone had been kind enough to talk to him. He nodded in agreement with Ratchet, feeling guilty for being in on Illusory’s next escape plot.

He followed Ratchet, part of him eager to the get it over with while another rather scared part of him remembering the experiments.

It took Ratchet some time to complete the scans and analysis' he wanted to prepare for the procedure of converting Scatterblade's spark energy back to that of an Autobot. He kept the conversation rather light as he did so, when he talked at all. The medic tended to get involved in whatever it was he was doing and seemed to forget there was another mech in the room with him, but then would resume any conversation as though it had not been interrupted at all.

As he was preparing to finish up his preliminaries, the door to the medical wing was thrust open, alarms blaring in the background. A rather panicked looking Dino stood in the doorway. “She gone!” He shouted over the alarms in complete disbelief.

Scatterblade jerked up but was still restrained to the berth. “What happened?” he demanded from his spot hoping his current prostrate pose wouldn’t lessen the menace from his voice.

“I dunna know! One minute the femme was there, the next, 'Hide rippin' up the place lookin' for her! She just...gone...” The sharp edged red mech shrugged, but the look of disbelief didn't leave his face. He looked to Ratchet and then to Scatterblade. “You dunna havea any ideas what she might be up to?”

The young mech shook his head. He wasn’t lying, she hadn’t told him what she was 'up to' specifically.

Ratchet was quick to release Scatterblade. “Let's find her before Ironhide does, there's no saying what he will do if he catches her.” The medic was already pushing Dino out of his way so he could begin searching for the missing femme.

The other mech just stood there, looking for all the world like nothing made sense anymore. “How'd she get past 'Hide in the first place?” He mumbled to himself.

Scatterblade jumped to his feet and followed after them. He desperately hoped she would get away. Ironhide would not be kind when he found her. ' _If_ he finds her', he hoped silently.

Outside the medical wing was pure chaos. All available 'bots were searching the grounds for the femme, but none quite as loudly as Ironhide. The mech was all but throwing anything that wasn't bolted down; and even that was questionable.

“Slaggin' femme,” he grumbled loudly. “I'll personally rip whatever she's stolen out of her processor! If she thinks she can sell our intel to those Pit-spawn Decepticons,” he punctuated this by putting his fist through a nearby wall, “I'll slag her! There won't be anything left when I'm done!”

“'Hide, chill!” Jazz shielded a few humans from flying debris from the angered mech. “Yer shoutin' ain't gonna make her come outta hidin'.” The smaller mech scanned the area around him before moving on. “'Sides, Ah'm pretty sure she hasn't stolen anythin', she's prolly just scared.”

“I'll give her a reason to be scared!” The large black mech roared.

“Ah don't think ya have ta do anythin' to accomplish that, 'Hide. Not with th' way yer goin' on. Pit, ya got meh uh lil' uneasy.”

Scatterblade was furious at the larger mech's accusations. “She hasn’t stolen anything! She doesn’t _do_ that anymore!!”

Ironhide's gaze shifted like a burning wave of fire onto the smaller front-liner. “How do you know that? Did she tell you she doesn't do it anymore? Did you believe her? She's a spy, she lies. Its what they do!”

“'Hide,” Jazz warned, a dark look passing his own face.

The larger mech grunted in something that might have sounded like an apology. “Neutral spy,” he corrected.

“I trust her,” he growled trying so hard not to act on his urge to attack the larger warrior that his limbs trembled with the effort. “I used to look up to you,” he grumbled, “but now, I don’t see any further reason to.”

Ironhide looked shocked, almost physically hit by the comment.

“Ah trust her too,” Jazz added, though not with quite the anger that Scatterblade had. “Femme had ta make uh livin' 'Hide, ya can't blame her fer tryin' ta survive.”

The larger mech looked somewhat put down, but held his ground. “Maybe not, but I can blame her for the deactivations she caused.” With that he turned and headed for another area of the base to search, though with quite a bit less violence.

“'Hide has trust issues,” Dino explained as he moved around Scatterblade. “Don't get it wrong too often, so he'sa little rough when he realizes he'sa wrong.”

Scatterblade immediately regretted his comment. He really didn’t like staying mad but Ironhide had really made him angry. “I always thought of Ironhide as a hero. Thought he would be a little bigger than that,” he said softly.

“Don't worry, kid,” Jazz patted the other mech as he passed him, “Hide's got uh few rough spots, but he's uh good mech at spark.”

Dino and Jazz went in separate directions to continue the search for Illusory, as other 'bots moved in even more directions. The base was on high alert, even humans were prowling around for the missing femme.

Scatterblade sighed. 'What an impression you made on him. Way to go,' he scolded himself. Then he turned to his com. link walking in a random direction as if searching for Illusory. ::Alrighty then, where did you go?:: He asked her simply.

::It may be better if you do not know,:: the femme answered, her voice stressed. ::I am safe...currently.::

A few mech's watched Scatterblade rather closely as he moved about, but none made any moves to stop him.

::I bet,:: he replied sarcastically.

::What are they doing?:: There was some faint background sound to her communication; an interference that shouldn't have been there.

::Looking for you. What’s that noise?::

::It's nothin',” she whispered. ::Just...Ah'm gettin' outta here, okay?::

Scatterblade tried not to let his faceplates show his emotions. He felt let down but he didn’t want her to be stuck here either. ::Please be careful,:: he implored. ::I’m gonna miss you,:: he added softly.

::You have been a good friend, thank you. I am sure we will...:: she paused for a moment, her voice coming back very stressed, ::we will see each other again!:: There was a finality to the way she closed the communication.

“Where is she?” A smooth voice asked from behind Scatterblade.

Scatterblade turned to the ‘bot, “She won’t answer me.”

The black and white mech with a red chevron stood there, face stoic, arms crossed over his chestplates. “Somehow I don't believe that,” the mech shifted slightly, glancing around as if to catch anyone that might be listening. “It is very important that she understands that this action has placed her in danger. The human governments will now see her as a rogue Cybertronian – an enemy – and it will not be long before they hunt her down and destroy her.” The mech spoke with such a solid, sure tone that any indication that he might be twisting the truth was completely banished from his words.

Scatterblade glared at him for a second, trying to decipher exactly what this mech wanted him to do about it. “She won’t tell me where she is or where she’s going.”

At this the mech nodded. “That I do believe. Can you still contact her? Advise her of the consequences of her poor decision.” His tone was still level, not dangerous, not condescending, simply fact.

“I’ll try,” he said. ::So are you going to ignore me or can I still talk to you?:: he asked her hoping she would at least listen to what was going to happen.

The new communication was accepted, but not responded to right away. ::I am always here to listen.:: She sounded far less stressed now.

The black and white mech continued to watch Scatterblade, though nothing in his expression changed.

::It’s not the Autobots you need to be afraid of anymore,:: he said.

::What?:: The alarm that struck her tone was piercing. ::Please tell me Decepticons have not realized I am here!::

::No! No. Not the ‘Cons. The humans have the wrong idea of you now. They are going to think of you as a threat.::

::The humans? I have done nothing to them, why would they think me a threat?::

::They have an alliance with the Autobots and hunt down anyone who isn’t. If you were to make a contract with this team the humans would leave you alone,:: he suggested hopefully.

Another long pause lingered over their com. before the femme responded. ::A contract?:: There was a definite level of defeat in her tone, but also a touch of intrigue. ::What kind of contract?::

Slag. He knew he should have talked more in depth with Will to explain the details. ::I don’t know the specifics but one of the humans suggested it.::

::I will not return to be imprisoned once more,:: she growled. ::However, I am not entirely willing to walk away from a possibly beneficial contract. If they are truly interested in such a thing...I have not gone far, and I will remain in hiding near by. They can contact me with the details.:: She sounded very professional as she spoke, her words crisp and to the point. However, when she spoke again, that soft companionship tone was returned. ::I am sorry to put this on you, but I do not trust them enough to simply come back – they would surely lock me away where I would never have another opportunity to flee.::

::I understand,:: he said. ::I’ll pass that along.::

He turned back to the mech. “Can I talk to the human-” he had to remember who it was, “-Will I think was his name.”

The black and white mech studied Scatterblade for a moment longer before nodding and leading him back toward the interior of the base. As they walked, other 'bots joined them and the alarms were silenced. The humans looked uneasy, but slowly began returning to their duties.

Jazz slid up beside Scatterblade, glancing at him sideways before fixing his visor-ed gaze ahead of them. “Ya reached her?” He asked simply. Most likely it was the same question on everyone's processor.

Scatterblade nodded. “She’s interested in a contract.”

Jazz's frame tensed for the briefest of moments. “Is that so?”

“It is a reasonable compromise to end this rather unwarranted standoff,” the black and white mech returned.

“Yeah, but uh contract with 'Lu? That won't be cheep. Ya think th' humans'll go fer it?”

“It is worth the attempt to avoid the deactivation of yet another femme outside of the conflict.”

Jazz laughed. “Since when did ya grow uh soft spot, Prowler?”

The black and white mech gave the silver saboteur a rather withering glare.

Jazz just shrugged. “Good plan.”

Scatterblade appreciated that Jazz was lightening the mood. He was unsure if the humans would be willing to consider the contract after the mess the two of them were causing.

They reached a hanger that had been specifically devised for the humans and 'bots to meet in. Already in the room were Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide, Will, and a hand-full of other humans.

When they entered, Optimus turned to Scatterblade. “Scatterblade, you will be acting as Illusory's representative?”

The young mech still felt nervous in front of the Autobot leader but nodded, “I will.”

Turning back to the collection of humans, the Prime addressed them. “Is this satisfactory for you, Major?”

Will nodded easily, looking at Scatterblade with a mix of something like annoyance, and a large amount of apprehension. “If she won't come in person, I guess this is going to be the best we'll get.”

“Very well,” Optimus spoke again before anyone else could offer their opinions on the matter. “It appears that our Neutral guest has taken it upon herself to leave our custody – for reasons that would seem apparent. Scatterblade, would you care to elaborate so that we might all understand Illusory's position?”

Scatterblade composed himself patching in Illusory so she could hear and comment through him. “She doesn’t practice her occupation anymore. Let me make that extremely clear. She doesn’t want to stay here if she feels like a prisoner. Illusory just wants to be left alone.”

There was a mix of doubtful, and disappointed looks across the board as far as the humans went. “The contract we propose,” Will began, looking to his comrades as if to ensure that they still wished to proceed with the offer, “was actually to employ her previous occupation. After a few long discussions with Jazz – who has stated his interactions with her over several different occasions – and Mirage – who could offer some insight to how such things were normally arranged – we believe she could be an asset to our devision.”

Rather unenthusiastic mumblings came from Ironhide where he stood at the back of the room, not looking at anyone in particular but looking as though he were on the defense.

::Ya heard that?:: he asked her.

::Yes,:: she hesitated. ::I am not accustomed to working solely for one faction, would that not be the same as aligning myself with them?:: She thought aloud. ::I will not join in on their war,:: she stated after a moment. ::If they choose to offer a contract, it will be at a substantial fee to warrant single directional flow of information.::

“She said it's going to cost to assure 'single directional flow of information'. A, uh, 'substantial fee'.” Scatterblade said the last bit a little awkwardly, the words not really fitting him.

“What would substantiate the currency for this 'fee'?” The human questioned, almost daring her to state an obscene amount of money for her services.

::Energon,:: she stated rather simply. ::Since you will be paying me to not trade information, I cannot accept currency in the form of information, so that leaves the only thing of value to me as energon.::

Scatterblade felt like if he shared what she had said, he would be berated for it, but he wanted to help his friend. “She said that we'd be paying her not to trade in information, so the only thing left of value is Energon.”

“What?” Ironhide finally raised his voice to a pitch everyone could clearly understand. “There's hardly enough here to support us as it is!” The mech grumbled.

“Unfortunately,” Optimus agreed, “that is true. We would be unable to offer anything more than the standard amount for ornly needs.”

Scatterblade never had a time where he wanted to back away from a fight or argument but now, in the middle of such delicate negotiations, seemed like a great time.

The femme vented heavily over the com. ::This is nothing more than an elaborate trap to get me to join or proclaim myself an enemy!:: She snapped annoyed. ::I will not work for free.::

::They never said you’d get nothing.:: he told her with as much patience as he could manage. ::It wouldn’t be choosing a side. Its a contract with N.E.S.T.::

::For what in return? My freedom? For them not hunting me down? How is that anything less than being an indentured servant?::

Scatterblade couldn't argue the femme's point. “She...wants to know what you have to offer instead.” He felt horrible for asking such a thing, but he had agreed to stand this position, he had to ask.

Will rubbed at the back of his neck. In truth, they had not come up with anything that seemed substantial enough to trade an alien that had no interest in money. “I'm afraid our monetary currency is all we really have to offer, unless there is something else she would prefer? Of course, if we were allowed to trade with her financially, she would be able to obtain whatever else it is she desires on this planet for an equal value.” It sounded lame to him, but it was the only thing that came to mind at the moment.

Scatterblade waited for Illusory to respond. He felt like he was on the precipice of something that could either be wonderful, or painfully tragic, depending on how the next few kliks went.

::Including attendance at an educational facility?:: There was a bit of plotting in the femme's tone.

Scatterblade couldn’t help but chuckle as he posed her question to the group. “She asks if that includes educational facilities.”

There was not a being on the premises, aside from Scatterblade, that understood this request. Odd looks were exchanged all around before anyone spoke up.

“Yes,” Will offered with obvious question to his tone. “To school, right?”

::What else would it be?:: Illusory snapped.

“Yes. For school,” he said nodding.

“I suppose so, if that's what she really wants.” Will answered.

“Wait!” Another man of darker skin finally jumped in. “Why does a giant, highly advanced, alien robot want to go to school?”

Scatterblade shrugged. “We may know quite a deal about things but not everything. Illusory is new to the planet. Does it hurt you if she wants to learn more about it?”

“Well, no,” the second man replied, “but I thought you guys could just download whatever you wanted to know, like from the internet. Isn't that how you've gotten everything so far? So why actually go through the motion of attending a school?”

“It’d be fun..?” the mech shrugged again. “There’s also the social aspect of it.”

The reply completely stumped the humans, and a few of the mech's present. It seemed the only ones to comprehend such an explanation were Optimus, Jazz, and Scatterblade himself.

::Tell them I will accept their...money...and I will hold a contract with them, so long as I am not forced to remain on their base. I will be allowed to set up my own place of residence, and I will be left alone outside of the work employed by the contract.::

Scatterblade laughed at their faces of confusion but composed himself. “She will accept the money and hold a contract. Conditions are that she does not want to remain on base, be allowed to set up her own place of residence and be left alone outside of the work employed by the contract.” He wanted to make sure they did not misunderstand.

There were still some doubtful looks, and definitely some doubtful grumblings from Ironhide behind them, but Will nodded. “We accept. All that is left is to work out are the details; price, benefits, and services.”

::I will meet with them, but not on base. Tell them...tell them to meet me where they found us in the first place. I think I would like to go back to Logan Utah.::

“She wishes to meet you off base, preferably where you found us,” he said to them.

“Where is she now?” Ironhide asked, his voice deep and dark. Several others shared looks, wondering just where the femme had gotten off to without their notice.

“Knowing Lu?” Jazz spoke up. “Long gone by now.”

“She won’t tell. Hasn’t been telling me,” Scatterblade shrugged.

There was noise from several different beings in the meeting, but it seemed the answer was accepted. Arrangements were being made to travel to Logan, Utah. Only a few mechs and a few humans would be going; they decided they would try and keep the gathering small to hopefully keep the femme from feeling trapped and running away.

Ironhide was greatly displeased when Optimus made it clear that the weapons specialist would remain on base while he and Jazz would make the journey along with Robert Epps and William Lennox as their 'drivers'.

::Scatterblade...would you...:: she sounded unsure of herself as she stammered over their com. link, ::would you come with them? If you are able, and if you want to, that is.::

Scatterblade grinned softly at the request. ::I’ll check if I can.::

He felt nervous approaching Optimus but he swallowed his fear and asked, “Illusory was hopping that I would be able to accompany you.”

The regal Autobot leader turned his gaze to the smaller front-liner, and smiled approvingly. “Of course. Allies are hard to come by in this war, I would not deny her one of her few, or you one of yours.”

“Wait a minute, Optimus,” Ratchet approached, a look of disapproval on his face. “Scatterblade hasn't had his spark signature corrected yet. It could be dangerous for all of you if he were to be detected by the Decepticons.”

“I believe that Scatterblade has done well enough to hide himself until now,” Optimus suggested, “one more orn should hardly make a difference.”

“Thank you,” he nodded, “I will dampen it the best I can.”

Ratchet didn't look entirely convinced, but seemed to decide that the pros outweighed the cons of Scatterblade joining the small envoy.

“Don't worry, Ratch!” Jazz slapped the younger 'bot on the shoulder, probably harder than necessary, but not with any malice. “Kid will be with us, nothin's gonna go wrong.”

Ironhide groaned at the saboteur’s comment. “I hate it when you say things like that.”

Scatterblade chuckled. It was gonna be okay, he thought to himself. Now was not the time to be fidgety.


	9. Event Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Nine**

~

_The being which we meet at first is almost always an illusion of who they wish you to believe they are. Sometimes the real being inside is just a scattered consciousness that needs help pulling themselves together._

_~_

 

Illusory waited a good long while before she crept from her hiding place, quickly determining the most unlikely route for the Autobots to take and setting to it with a speed that would have been lethal to a human. She would arrive in Logan a good amount of time ahead of the mechs that would be following her; long enough to make sure she wouldn't be trapped wherever they met.

Her excitement to be free again brought one more thought forward. Without much hesitation, she accessed the phone number Charlie had given her, and attempted to contact the human.

Charlie tossed in her bed and tried to fall back to sleep one more time. It was Saturday and she was determined to sleep till ten. Her phone rang making her jump and just about fly off her bed. She answered the phone groggily. “Hello?”

“Hello, Charlie. This is Illusory. I apologize for disturbing you, but I thought I might inform you that I am returning to Logan. I wished to let you know that Scatterblade and myself are unharmed,” her voice didn't quite hold it's pitch on her last word.

It took her several seconds to respond. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that but more slowly? I’m not fully awake just yet.”

The femme laughed lightly. “This is Illusory,” she said somewhat slower. “I am returning to Logan and thought I would let you know.”

“Oh, hi! Good to hear from you again. Where have you been?” Her tone shifted quickly from excited to concerned.

“We were...detained,” the dark tone to the femme's voice was unmistakeable. “However, that has been taken care of, for the most part, and I will now be residing in Logan, Utah, for the foreseeable future.”

“Oh my gosh,” she breathed, “I’m so glad you’re coming back. Guess I’ll see you soon then?” Charlie could not keep a happy grin from her face.

“Yes, I have one more arrangement to see to in the canyon, but I did hope to visit with you for a while before hand.” Even as she spoke, the femme was crossing into Utah, her estimated time of arrival would be less than one Earth hour if she maintained her current speed.

“Yeah. Come right over,” she said sitting up and already searching for her shoes, “I’ll be outside my apartment.”

“Very well, I will be there within the hour.” She poured on a little more speed, keeping one sensor active for any of the police of the area – though she had no fears of not being able to outrun them, she decided that starting a 'high-speed chase' probably wasn't a good idea.

It wasn't long before the femme pulled into the parking lot outside of Charlie's dorm, heat from her engine coming off in waves.

Charlie saw a car come speeding around the corner, laughing when she recognized her. She stood and made sure no one was around before she hurried to her friend.

Illusory opened her door for the woman. “Hello, Charlie. Good to see you again,” she greeted warmly.

Charlie hopped in easily and closed the door behind her. “Good to see you too. Tell me what happened. You’ve been gone for a long time, and you left without anything more than ‘we found more ETs and we’ll be back soon.’”

Illusory vented heavily. “The Autobots found us and took us back to their base where they detained Scatterblade and I. A...few things came to pass, there were some complications, but I am making arrangements with them so that I may continue functioning on my own.”

“Wow.” Charlie chuckled, the wording sounding very vague to her. Still, she understood that not everyone wanted to share everything. Then the fact that Illusory had said 'I' instead of 'we' struck her. “But… if you’re here then where is Scatterblade? He still detained?”

“He is with his faction now. Without me there, he is more likely to be welcomed into the fold again. They intend to help him, and as far as I know he will likely remain with them. However, I did request that he accompany them when they come to finalize my contract.” The femme sounded a little sad as she spoke.

Charlie slumped down in her seat with disappointment. “Well that sucks. I was gonna be your guys’ groupie,” she sighed with fake enthusiasm before becoming more serious. “I’m sorry he isn’t gonna be around anymore.”

“I am as well,” she admitted. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. I found myself a job,” she said excitedly, “School’s been good but there are the slumps.”

“Slumps?” The femme questioned. She checked her chronometer, and the time she expected the Autobots to arrive. They would likely follow the posted speed limits, meaning she had quite a bit of time to relax.

"Studying, keeping up on bills, trying to figure out dating and stuff," she sighed prattling them off as if it was a to-do list. "Time just doesn't seem to move fast enough. The long days get hard but I find ways to stay busy. Still, reading can only help you so far. Especially when reading textbooks," she grumbled as if relieved it wasn't happening at the moment.

Illusory hummed amused at the mention of 'long days'; Earth days were so much shorter than Cybertronian days, she couldn't even imagine one being considered 'long'. “Sounds...” Lovely? Wonderful? She would trade her entire world for such troubles? None of those sounded acceptable to the femme, “like you could use some time away,” she finished instead, bringing her engine back to life and pulling away from the dorm. “I have some time before I am to meet with the Autobots...” she left the statement open as she drifted toward the exit, giving the human time to decline the offer if she chose.

Charlie's face lit up. "That sounds great!" She chirped buckling herself in, more than eager to enjoy a drive with her alien friend. The concept was still so...amazing; she was riding around in a living _alien_ car.

With a happy growl of her engine, Illusory took off. She kept her speeds to just pushing the limits, not wanting to cause Charlie any harm. “Any place you would like to go?”

The woman had a hard time suppressing the squeal of delight building inside her. Feeling a flush of heat on her face for being so childish she attempted to composed herself before she spoke. "There's a park down on the island," she said pointing toward the lower area south of campus. "Lots of trees and a stream."

The school sat on a mesa just north of the canyon mouth. Where the river flowed out of the canyon was a lower area filled with houses and more of the Cache Valley. It was a crowded area but the slopes just off the highway road were covered in trees.

“Very well.” Illusory set her navigation for the indicated area, boosted by the human's squeal of delight, she continued to push the limits as they raced to their destination.

Charlie felt thrust to the back of her seat. Illusory was fast! She'd never thought anything could move this quickly! It might have scared her like roller coasters did, but she was enjoying every bit of it. Somehow, even though she felt the excitement thrum through her, she knew she was safe inside the vehicle.

Once they arrived, Illusory slowed, and found a suitable place to rest. She admired the simplicity of the park. “It is very nice here,” she sighed, contented.

Charlie climbed out of the vehicle and took in a deep breath. She loved how crisp the air was here and it did wonders to steady her hammering heart. "I like it a lot. When it snows, this whole area over there is turned into a skating rink!" She excitedly pointed to the grassy field at the corner of the park and then to a small building was directly adjacent to it and seemed very out of place. “That's for the food, hot chocolate and coffee when the rink is open. Also a good place to warm up.”

“Hn,” Illusory hummed as her holoform came to stand beside the human, observing the described areas. She thought, for the briefest of moments, that she wished she could see this 'skating rink' anomaly that apparently only occurred when there was snow. “That sounds interesting.”

Charlie then thought of something,"Have you ever seen snow?"

“No.” Illusory had not been on the planet for long, she had seen the passing of a few of this planet's 'seasons', but had yet to encounter snow.

The young woman sighed in pained empathy. "I had never seen snow before I came here. Sure I saw it on the ground when we went up north in Cali but to see it coming down and covering the ground a little bit at a time..." she sighed happily. "It's the best thing I've ever seen."

“I look forward to it then.” She did, too. For some reason, the fact that Charlie had found snow so enticing made Illusory want to see it as well.

"The first time I saw snow, I was a little kid all over again,” Charlie laughed heartily at the memory. “My roommates thought I was so weird. They were all mad about the snow and I was playing in it without my jacket. Nearly got pneumonia that way!" She sighed sitting down in the grass. "It makes you really slow down and just enjoy being alive. There are so many things I miss because I'm not really looking. I made it a habit this summer to get up early and enjoy the air before it got too hot." She turned her face up toward the sky and stared at the trees surrounding them, just taking in the beauty. "What was your home like?”

Illusory's frame audibly tensed. “My...home?” There was the soft whirring of electricity as old memories resurfaced. “It was...” she paused again. “I hardly remember anymore. My home does not exist any longer. I was only a youngling when it was destroyed by the war, though I do recall...th' 'bots there were nice. Everyone helped everyone...we were all wanting, but never left ta suffer 'till th' Autobots chased some 'Cons through our quiet lil' valley...” The femme made a grinding sound, almost like a human clearing their throat. “It was a long time ago. It hardly matters anymore.”

Charlie was silent for a time, her heart sinking inside of her to hear the tragedy. "You know," she began softly, "there's this old story and lesson that happened a lot during the story. When the people forgot the past things didn't turn out all that well. They would be attacked or a famine would come,” Charlie stopped feeling a little awkward hoping this would make sense to her alien friend, "but when they remembered what God did for their fathers and how he helped them in times of trouble they would humble themselves and be helped. It may have been a long time ago but if you can focus on the good part of the memory then I don't think thinking about the bad would be as bad." She laughed at herself. "That didn't make a whole lotta sense to you, did it?"

“Hn,” the femme rumbled softly. “It does make a certain type of sense, I suppose. It is simply difficult to remember. This war of theirs has ravaged so much, memories included. To think of my home is to think of another life that I can never have again – to think of friends, and family that I will never see again. There is nothing but pain in those memories, even the best of them.” The femme shuddered roughly, making the panels on her alt mode clatter loudly as they shifted about for a moment before settling back into a seamless disguise once more. “I apologize, I do not wish to be so negative.”

The woman nodded in sympathy. "I can't imagine what that's like. Well, I probably can if I put my mind to it. Wild imagination," she chuckled but quickly stopped. "Is there a way that you could make a new home? Here on Earth? Start a whole new batch of memories," she smiled up at the holoform still standing beside her. “Good ones?”

“That is what I am hoping for; if the Autobots are willing to allow me that small peace. I am to commit to a contract with them, I will work for them for monetary compensations in which I am allowed to use for my own personal notions. I was considering following through with my previous thoughts of joining your educational system and attempting to create an image of a human femme living a normal life here.”

“That'd be great!" Charlie sat up, bubbling with enthusiasm. “I'm glad you guys could come to terms.”

“The one thing I can say I admire about the Autobots, they are always willing to cut a good deal, and they will uphold their end of the agreement.” Illusory vented, letting the stress leave her frame again. “I have never bound myself to such an open contract though, I am concerned how this may turn out. My contracts used to be one time contact deals; simple, to the point, and over with.”

Charlie nodded and shrugged at the same time. "Is it all that bad, though? To at least be able to count them as reliable?" The redhead still didn't understand that if one side did good, and the other side did bad, why Illusory didn't consider the side that did good, good? Or if it was just something too...alien for her to understand.

“Yes, they are reliable,” there was still an edge to Illusory's voice, but that did not change the fact that it was true. “It is just simply difficult for me to...” how was she to say it? Commit to a single faction even though she was not joining them? To not be working both sides of the war for her own benefit? “Settle,” she decided was the best word. After all, the contract had yet to be finalized, and as far as she knew nothing was preventing her from continuing business as usual should the opportunity present itself, it just meant that she wouldn't have to work as hard to find a buying Autobot contact. “It may work out for the best in the end,” she admitted.

"Glad you could get at least that. I think it'd be neat to meet them," she said laying down on the grass and putting her hands behind her head. "If I was a biology student instead of just wildlife science I'd be trying to figure out anatomy similarities and differences. Heck! I know someone who would love to know that you guys are here."

“Is that so?” Illusory briefly weighed the pros and cons of allowing Charlie to accompany her to the meeting – as her human liaison. It was only fair, wasn't it? She knew very well that other humans would be there, why should she not have one on her side of the negotiations?

"Well, yeah," she said oblivious to what the question was really pointed towards. "Of course I don't think it'd be smart to let anyone else in on this. What with the government knowing about you guys too.”

“Hn,” she agreed. “If you were to meet the others, you would be under the government's scrutiny; if that is something you are willing to deal with, I can arrange it so that you may.”

Charlie sat up straight, "Oh. Heh," she laughed, "didn't think about that." She had seen way too many movies about government conspiracies and felt like she could remain out of this and be just fine. The opportunity was great, sure. Who wouldn't want to meet a new species, a new race! but something was stirring in her that she decided to listen to. "Maybe we could put that off. For a little bit at least. School's hard enough. If I have to have MIB chasing me around then I think I'll pass."

Illusory laughed at the reference. “Very well.” She settled on her tires, and then sat her holoform beside Charlie. “This is a lovely place.” Tilting her head back as if to enjoy the rays of the sun, the femme took a deep breath and let it out. There was something about acting 'human' that appealed to her.

Charlie thought forward in time; to snow then from snow to ice then ice to ice skating. Then she excitedly sat up, an idea coming to her. "I just thought of something really cool. Bear Lake is like an hour away from here through the canyon. Come winter some parts of it actually freezes over. We could totally try to skate on it! I think it would be thick enough to hold you. It should be. There's a ton of water nearly 200 feet out that is like my waist deep. And the water's cold all summer long so it's bound to freeze pretty deep. That would be so much fun to see!" She laughed thinking about the large robot ice skating.

“That sounds...interesting.” Ice wasn't foreign to the femme; space had taught her plenty about the frozen liquid, but to actually 'skate' on it was new to her. “When such a time comes, we may have to investigate the opportunity.”

"Definitely! It's seriously the funnest thing to just glide around and gather your speed faster and faster! It's one of the only roller-coaster feelings I like," she said rather embarrassed by the fact.

Illusory considered the comparison for a moment before she decided to ask; “What is a roller-coaster?”

"It's a ride that people go on," Charlie said enjoying the fun naivety that came with talking to Illusory. "You get in a cart with a restraining bar, so you don't fall out, and that cart is connected to a whole bunch of other carts. Then the cart is on a track, and that track can go any direction at all. Up, down, up again, corkscrew down, straight up into a loop de loop, then down again in a corkscrew and sometimes one or two times in a row. Depends on the ride. Some people like the thrill that comes with the G. force of it all. I can't stand them," she shivered. "I went on one that was all ups and downs and turns and I was so scared and nervous that when we went down I couldn't breathe. It was fun, I'll admit but I will never go on one of my own free will again. I'm too much of a caution freak. I like being safe and knowing I will be able to continue to breathe when I want to," she chuckled.

“Sounds like some of the roads back on Cybertron,” Illusory smiled almost impishly. “Only we didn't have restraining bars, just speed.”

Charlie gaped at her, "No way!" She shuddered, imagining roads that were like that. "I used to have dreams that sound like that! I'd be driving and the road would suddenly shoot up and then we'd have to shoot down and jump from the end of the road to the next connecting part! It was so freaky! Had a little anxiety about driving 'cause of that."

Illusory's smile broadened. “Yes, that sounds about right. The city bypasses could get a little tricky like that from time to time. Especially when there was a seeker spire nearby; had to keep the sky clear for landing and take offs.

"Wow," she said trying to imagine all the roads and spires covering the alien home world. "That would have been cool to see," she whispered.

“Very well,” Illusory said merrily as her systems geared up. Suddenly before them the scenery vanished, replaced by a vast expanse of intricate towers, roads, lights and 'bots all moving about their business – both in their alt modes, and robot modes. The vantage point from which Illusory was projecting allowed them to look deep down into the depths of the cityscape, endless pathways stretching for as far as was visible. “This is...” Illusory started to tell Charlie that this was Iacon before the final attack that had destroyed even this last visage of a seemingly normal Cybertronian city, but decided that it needn’t be ruined by the truth. “A small part of one of Cybertron's great cities.”

Charlie gaped at the sight. "Wow. That's incredible. I didn't know you create holograms like that," she added with a laugh. "That is so cool."

“Yeah,” Illusory vented softly as the image wavered. “This one is unlike my personal holographic form; it is image only and I cannot hold it for long.” Even as she finished her sentence, the image fuzzed, pixilated, and fell apart, returning the scenery of the park.

Charlie nodded her understanding. "Cybertron must have been really different from Earth," she mused.

“Very much so,” Illusory agreed. “There are not very many places like Cybertron. Then again, from what I have seen, there are not many places quite like Earth either. In that way, they are very similar.”

"I would really like know if there are. There's a belief that I hold with many of my family and religion that there are worlds out there that have people just like us. Many different 'Earths'. We've never heard from any of them," she shrugged, "but its my theory that we're not supposed to yet." She laughed again unsure of herself once more. "That probably sounds stupid."

Illusory smiled as she looked at Charlie. “If seeking other, similar life is stupid, than the Cybertronian race is compiled of nothing but fools.”

Charlie smiled back, not feeling as silly now. She looked at the car with a little subdued curiosity. Her world had gotten a lot bigger. A lot of people in her situation would have freaked out and denied the fact that other lifeforms from way beyond their atmosphere were walking around on their planet, but Charlie had always believed that life was out there. Not like George Lucas's _Star Wars_ life, but other peoples just living their lives day after day. How could their universe, the Milky Way be so big and so vast and be home to only one planet with life on it? It just didn't make sense. Now she had proof that other life did exist. It wasn't an overwhelming 'viola! it's there!', more like 'yup, you were right'. It was one of those 'okay, that makes sense!' kind of experiences. It made her curiosity on the subject feel quenched. At least for now. 'Gotta crawl before you can run,' she reminded herself. 'One step at a time.'

“Unfortunately, it is getting close to time for me to meet with the Autobots. I will take you home before I go.” She waved back toward her alt mode, indicating Charlie should make her way there before her holoform vanished. “I would like to arrive before them.” The sense of, 'so I can find a safe place to hide' hung in her words.

Charlie nodded pulling herself up from the ground and climbing into the vehicle. "Thanks for coming to see me," she said happily starting to feel the languish of the weekend coming back over her.

“It was my pleasure. Hopefully, all goes well and we will see more of each other.” Illusory's engine purred to life and she began heading back for Charlie's dorm, though at a much more subdued pace this time.

The young woman noticed this and giggled. "I know now why you guys like to go so fast. The roads on Cybertron allowed for it!" When they arrived at the dorms she wished Illusory luck. "Maybe I'll hear something from my window." she joked.

“Would you prefer that to a communication?” Illusory examined the window Charlie spoke of, it wasn't beyond her to alert the human through the small opening if need be.

"I think I'll be okay," she explained. "It was just a joke. I might fall asleep the minute i hit the pillow. Good luck, be safe."

“Thank you,” the femme offered. “Enjoy your recharge.” Illusory began pulling away once the human was headed toward her dorm. There was a very small part of Illusory that worried things would go poorly and this was the last time she would see the human. She pushed it off as vorns of war taking 'bots away for no apparent reason. She had become used to the idea that she never knew who would still be there the next orn.

Illusory observed the area she had chosen for the meeting. It was dense enough to hide all of the 'bots, and thick enough that anyone larger than herself would have trouble negotiating the land in any kind of a hurry. Not only that but she was aware of a cave system where she could likely lose anyone that might pursue her. “This will do,” she said to herself. She sent the co-ordinance to Scatterblade so that he could lead the others to the place. ::Be careful coming in, the trees are thick.::

***

The ride there was long. Annoyingly so since they had decided to stay close to the speed limit humans had instated on their roads.

Scatterblade tried hard to keep himself focused but he was getting rather nervous for Illusory. He wanted her to be okay but the only way she would be was by herself. He had grown accustomed to thinking of her as a comrade; as a friend. Now they were on their way to figure out how well this arrangement was going to work out and most likely to part ways.

He was glad that it had only been Prime and Jazz coming along, he didn't want there to be any misunderstandings. He had already lied to the 'bots once and he hoped that would be where it stayed. One lie, not a whole slew of them.

When Scatterblade caught the transmission Illusory sent him, he almost swerved as it brought his attention back to the road. His holoform nodded and he contacted the Prime. ::She's given us co-ordinates. She's says the area is really thick with trees.::

Optimus acknowledged the co-ordinates and the warning alike. ::We should arrive shortly,:: he advised to all in their group.

::Ah'm gonna go ahead, check things out, Prime.:: Jazz sped forward to scout out the area.

Scatterblade was eager to see the forest again. The canyon was a pretty place and the town had been quite...quaint? was that the word? He chuckled quietly.

He had picked up a lot of the words that humans used. Slag came easier as his time on the planet lengthened. He could have gone without the beginnings of his journey but that was in the past. The 'Cons hadn't found him yet, though he knew they might sooner or later. He just hoped it was later. Much later.

Pushing those thoughts from his processor he could see the beginnings of the canyon up ahead of them. They would have to go through this canyon then the town to reach the canyon that Illusory had met him in. It was still about twenty minutes away but they had essentially arrived.

Jazz scanned the area quickly, noting the tactical advantage that a smaller 'bot like Illusory would have here – not that it would be very difficult for him either, being close to her size – but it spoke clearly of her suspicions of them. 'She still don't trust us,' he thought to himself. ::All looks clear Prime.::

::Very well, let us move in.::

Illusory could hear them coming, her systems set into a familiar rhythm of anxiety and confidence. It was just like old times, being prepared for anything while dealing information. The only thing different now was that she was looking to set herself for something more long term than a one time commitment.

Jazz waited for the others to catch up before he slid from the road into the forest to reach their destination.

Scatterblade entered the road after the Prime, keeping close to the larger mech, but his focus was more set to searching for Illusory.

Jazz was the first to spot the femme lingering among the trees. She stood stiff, prepared to run in an instant if she felt the need, but also looking firm in her position. She wasn't about to be bullied around.

He transformed and walked the last of the distance between them. “Hey, Lu, how ya doin'?”

“I am well enough now that I am free from Autobot 'hospitality'.” The statement came out slightly more harsh than she had intended, but Illusory couldn't say that it wasn't the way she had felt.

Optimus heard the comment, and could not help but to feel a little ashamed for the way the femme had been treated under their care. The excuse, they had her best interest at spark, probably would never be good enough to excuse the stress caused to her. “I apologize,” he offered instead. “Though I cannot say that our actions could have been different in any other situation.”

“That is...comforting...” the sarcasm in the femme's voice was thick.

Scatterblade couldn't blame her for the way she was acting. It still stung that she wouldn't trust the Autobots, but he felt he at least understood where she was standing. He offered a small smile to her from where he stood near a tree.

Illusory's expression softened somewhat as she looked at Scatterblade. At least there was one Autobot she trusted. “Let us get on with this. You know the terms of my contract. My fees will apply to an acceptable conversion of energon value to a monetary value.” She rambled off the foundation of all of her terms and conditions to the agreement of the contract they were to set up, taking several breems to make herself very clear, so there were no questions.

“Wow...are you sure she's not in government?” Rob asked as the femme went on, sounding very much like the fine print of a very twisted contract.

The younger mech chuckled some at Rob's comment. Illusory was good. She knew how to talk, that was for sure. She knew how to make sure she was very clear. He just hoped that this display wouldn't be interpreted as 'I know more than you' to the others.

Once Illusory finished, Optimus and Jazz considered the conditions carefully. Optimus consented for Jazz to be the one to negotiate, considering he knew the femme and had conducted business with her before.

“Alright, those sound fair,” he said before giving his own terms and conditions, his sounding even more twisted than Illusory's, leaving obvious openings for things yet to be foreseen.

The banter went back and forth quickly, the femme and the mech both well versed in the give and take way of informational contracts, and knowing how to get the better end of the deal. The humans were left reeling from the sheer complexity of it all, and how quickly it shifted back and forth. It seemed Optimus was a little taken aback himself as he listened, though none of the terms seemed out of the boundaries of what he was willing to accept, or what he understood the human governments to be willing to accept.

“I will choose my contact, none other will substitute,” Illusory stated firmly.

“That's fine, but ya gotta accept ta haven uh human contact as well, since it's them you'll be workin' with mostly,” Jazz countered.

Illusory paused at this, her processor turning this new bit into her plans. “Very well.”

“Good!” Jazz looked pleased as their contest of wills came to an end. “Contract set,” he stated firmly.

“Contract accepted,” she agreed, extending her hand palm up to which Jazz laid his own hand palm down in a mutual agreement of terms accepted.

“So...we're going to get all that in writing...right?” Will asked dazedly.

“Of course,” Illusory agreed, her optics shifting to the small humans in the group.

Scatterblade was glad this had gone smoothly, albeit very confusingly, but at least Jazz knew what Illusory was talking about and that seemed to be all that mattered. He had to chuckle at Will's question. Even he didn't know how they were going to get all that in a reasonably sized document for the humans.

“Who's yer contact?” Jazz asked.

Illusory studied the group carefully, she started to say something and then paused as if someone had said something to her. A moment of wariness and distrust crossed her faceplates before they set into something like understanding. “You,” she stated rather calmly.

The mech nodded. “An, yer human contact?”

She looked over the two humans present and pointed at one of them randomly. “That one will do, I suppose.”

“Flattering,” Rob commented.

Illusory canted her head slightly, as if in apology. “I do not know very many of your kind, please excuse my impersonal address.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Rob waved dismissively.

For a second Scatterblade had thought of Charlie but then went against it. She was just a student. She didn't understand the politics of the situation. Things seemed to be winding down from the black mech's point of view but he hoped he didn't have to leave all too quickly either.

“Then all is settled?” Optimus looked to the femme to see if there was anything further she had to say.

“Not quite,” Jazz was the one to speak up. “Ah don't know 'bout you Boss, but Ah don't really feel all that easy leavin' uh lone femme on her own out here, its kinda far from base in case somethin' happened, ya know?”

“I do not require your protection,” Illusory snapped.

“Nah, course ya don't!” Jazz's optics slid easily from the femme to the others in the group. “But if yer gonna be our informant, ya deserve some kinda good will offer on our side, right?”

Optimus nodded in agreement, though he wasn't entirely sure what Jazz was getting at.

“Ah think she should have uh partner.” The smirk on the saboteur’s face easily conveyed what he was really intending to say.

“What?” Illusory would have sounded indignant if there hadn't been the slight amount of hope to her voice.

“If everyone finds it agreeable, Ah think Scatterblade should stay with our contact, ta make sure she stays safe.”

Scatterblade had been leaning against the tree his arms folded in front of him. He shifted some and nearly lost his leverage on the tree. He stood up his arms falling from their place. He hid his surprise; at least the surprise on his faceplates, a small grin formed as his way of agreement to this suggestion.

Optimus took in the hopeful looks of both Illusory and Scatterblade, and the conspiratorial look on Jazz's faceplates and knew that he had never truly had an option in this. “I think that can be arranged. However, we must not forget that Scatterblade still has an appointment with Ratchet. His spark signature must be corrected before I can consent to allowing him such a mission.”

Illusory nodded, the smile on her face not fading any with this news. She could wait, if it meant that she would have a friend at her side that she knew she could trust, she would wait forever. “I will be fine on my own...until Scatterblade can be cleared.”

A light smattering of laughter spread across the group, none of them being fooled by the femme's tone. Not even the humans were diluted into believing that this was truly an act of gaining leverage on the Autobot's part.

Scatterblade nodded at the reminder. It was the only way to be safe. He joined in the laughter thankful for a moment to just let his relief flow. Jazz was alright is his book. The mech had been from the moment he met him, but now it was undeniable.

::Charlie will be happy to know you will be back,:: Illusory told the mech over a personal com.

Scatterblade grinned, happy to know he would be able to get to know the human more. The stress of this whole meeting was slowly dissipating and it felt great.

“Well then,” Optimus interrupted the laughter, “I suppose that this concludes our current mission out here.” He turned to Illusory and smiled, “I hope this will be the beginning of a good relationship.”

“Hn,” a dark look passed over the femme's face. “If you had been hoping for a good relationship, you should have made a better first impression...Prime.” She tipped her head slightly in recognition of his attempt to show her some kindness, but the darkness on her face would not leave.

An audio clip ran through Scatterblade's processor at the look at the femme’s face. It was a bit from one of Charlie's movies; 'Good feeling’s gone.' Marlin from Finding Nemo shared his current sentiments.

The Prime's expression showed his regret, but he made no attempt to reconcile, knowing it would only make things worse at this point.

“I will be on my way now, I have personal arrangements to see to.” The femme turned to Scatterblade, the shadow on her face fled instantly. “I look forward to when you will join me here.” Over a personal link with the mech, she offered a few more words. ::Be safe.::

He nodded to her. “Definitely,” he said answering both questions at the same time. He couldn’t keep the smile from his faceplates.

With a last glance over the group, Illusory turned and left them.

“Ah, Lu,” Jazz mused as he watched her go, “never changes.”

Scatterblade glanced from her retreating form to Jazz. “How did you meet Illusory?” He had wanted to ask about their familiarity before, but the time had just never been right. Now might not have been either but things had simmered down and he thought it might be his best opportunity. The fact that Jazz kept calling her by a nickname and acted like he’d known her all his life intrigued Scatterblade; surely that wasn't the type of relationship built on informational trade deals, was it?

“Femme an' Ah've crossed paths uh time or two,” he gave Scatterblade a half grin. “Got uh lotta good info from that one...” there was obviously more to the story, but Jazz was just as obviously not going to share it publicly.

Scatterblade nodded, acknowledging now wasn’t the place.

Their way back to base was again very long, but it was less stressful knowing that Illusory would be safe and that after everything was alright with his spark signature again, he could join her. It kind of disappointed him that his time with the Autobots would be so short though.

He had gotten to meet his idol, Ironhide; despite the disappointment he felt toward the large weapons specialist, he couldn't help but to be proud that he had met the mech. Pit, he had met Optimus Prime, for Primus's sake.

The thought of it had made his processor fritz a few times; it hadn’t seemed real. When he settled into recharge, he half expected to online back on the ship with his teammates, searching for their rendezvous point. Of course, he couldn't be sure if that was just wishful thinking; that everything that had happened had been just some dream, or something. He quickly shut down those memory files before they could be opened further. He didn't want to remember.

Instead he thought back to everything he had seen of the valley he had stayed in with Illusory. It had several towns in it running from the south of the valley to the north and east, and west running the width from mountain to mountain. He’d only had the opportunity to explore Logan and North Logan. At first he really hadn’t noticed a difference between towns. Just a sign marking the separation.

He was really interested in seeing how the people interacted with one another. After all the time he had spent learning about them during his capture, he couldn't help but to want to know more about them on a more personal level. Whether he would find similarities between them and his own kind or not he was curious all the same.

What he craved even more than that was to get to know Illusory better. He hadn’t dismissed her little shift in language and it intrigued him. The way her entire speech pattern changed; from prim and proper to something more relaxed and flowing. Sure it had a strange inflection, but it was more than enough to catch his audios and his processor. Was it due to the place she was originally from? How she was raised? He had no idea, and he really wanted to know. He would get to know.


	10. Event Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Ten**

~ **  
**

_Searching...searching...finding the truth within the illusion. Finding the scattered bits that add up to a whole...searching._

_~  
_

Illusory headed back for Charlie's dorm, her processor already spinning through waves of information. She had to create a functioning identity, she had to blend into the human society; she had a lot of work to do.

Connecting once more to the number Charlie had left her, Illusory waited for the human to answer.

Charlie had slept for maybe a half hour but was right back up. She was on the couch a book in her lap when her phone rang. She pulled her bluetooth ear piece out of her pocket. "Hello?" She said accepting the call and putting the phone down beside her. She hadn't bothered to look for a number dreading that it was the Tech Gurus again calling to help her with some computer issues she'd been having, so she continued to read as she waited for an answer.

"Charlie, this is Illusory. I need some assistance. Do you have some available time?" The femme raced through the streets, careful to avoid other drivers and passengers – but by the count of many sour calls – recklessly.

Charlie jumped up putting down the book. "Yeah. I don't have anything important to do," the project that was due next week already slipping her mind. "What's up?"

"My meeting has ended, and conditions were agreeable; however I am now in need of finding a suitable identity within the area. It would hardly do for me to continue hiding in the woods, and even less so to have humans suspicious of me. I was hoping you might be able to assist me in creating such an identity."

"Yeah. That sounds like fun actually," Charlie laughed. "Come on over and we can flesh it out."

Illusory sped into the lot, finding a spot to rest easily enough, then produced her holoform. "I am already here," she informed the human, studying some other students that were eying her suspiciously. 'I will have to remember to watch myself, better.'

"Why am I not surprised," the red head laughed. Shoving her phone into her pocket and heading to the stairs to meet her, Charlie was already trying to put together some thoughts that could help her alien friend.

Charlie hurried to the car and climbed in. "So how'd it go? Things must of gone well; you're still here," she smiled at her attempt at lame humor.

"Everything went well enough. I have been granted enough amnesty to remain here, and the monetary stability to maintain my existence here as well. Scatterblade will be joining me as my 'Autobot guardian', as soon as he is cleared by Ratchet."

Charlie nodded. "Alright! That's great to hear." She paused as the information finally connected in her brain. "One question though," she asked trying not to look confused, "What's a ratchet? Is that some kind of wrench or was that a name?"

Illusory laughed; openly and freely. "Ratchet is the Autobot's Chief Medical Officer."

She palmed her face with her hand. "That makes more sense." Charlie pulled her hand from her face, attempting to gather herself from her momentary lapse. "So where do we start making you an honorary member of the species?"

"I suppose I will require a fitting designation and a history," the femme pondered. "I have chosen to attend this learning institution and have acquired all the appropriate documentation to do so, however the concept of such studies is completely foreign to me."

"You sound like a freshman," she chuckled. "Don't worry no one knows what they're getting into going to college.  As for a name, that's really up to you.  History, hmm...pick a state or you could say you're local and don't go too much into it. Leave it vague; most people don't push.

"Document wise though there's the whole birth certificate, social security card, even though for my generation it won't be worth anything anymore," she grumbled but continued. "Driver's license, title registration, license plate, high school diploma or GED, proof that you born and raised on the planet." She sighed in mock exhaustion from the word vomit she had just laid out. "Did I get everything?"

"It sounds like it." The femme laughed slightly. "Most of the documentations can be, for lack of a better term, faked."

"I'll pretend I'm okay with that and move onto the real reason you needed my help. The past life; lets work on that. Where did you come from? Why you're here at the school? What's your name? Any hobbies? All the basic getting to know you questions that come with the first day of classes. The first question is where do we start?"

"I would suppose a 'beginning' would be the best place to start."

"Okay," Charlie sat back gazing through the windshield. "In the beginning, what kind of place should you be from? Pick a region or state, doesn't really matter."

"I have not seen much of the planet, but I do not think that saying I am from the area would be a very good idea; natives would likely pick up that I am not. So I would choose some place that is a lot less known to this area. Perhaps the other side of the continent?"

Charlie laughed. "All you'd have to say was 'I'm from Wyoming'. Just about as obscure. Very wide open. Most people live on ranches no where near big cities. Heck, you could say you're from New York. It's three thousand miles away. Unless you happened upon a Yank out here then you don't have to tell anyone a specific city."

"That seems acceptable," the femme agreed. "What reason is it most humans have migrated here for their education?"

The woman smiled at the word 'migrated' but pushed past it. "Most would say to get away from their parents. Others say it's because of their field of study. I've even heard a few people say it's because of the snow; we've got a killer ski resort on Beaver Mountain and some guys will get out of bed on early Saturday to ride all day long. So yeah, you can choose the programs, the distance, the new sights...anything really."

"I suppose saying 'to get away' would be appropriate." She smiled slightly. "What are hobbies?"

"Hobbies are interests or activities. Mine are some sports, reading, sketching – though I'm not very good at it – and, back when I was in Cali, surfing," she said proudly. Everyone had done it back home but she felt special saying it was a hobby, especially out here were there were so many that hadn't even seen the ocean.

"Hmm," Illusory thought for a few moments. "I do not really have any hobbies. Everything I have ever done has been for survival, really."

"Okay. Let's try something else," she offered.  "What are some interests you want to learn about?"

"I...have not had a chance to truly explore this world. I find its many different weathers and regions to be fascinating." She thought for a while on that. "I would love to experience this world, is that a hobby?"

"Exploration," Charlie chuckled, "definitely is. Very ambitious hobby. More like a goal but we can get to that later. Things are pretty new to you so far. You can just make it up as you go. People will ask how big your family is, are you the oldest middle or youngest- stuff like that. I think it's ok not to know right now. It'll come. But what you need to do is decide if you want a new name or not."

"A new name?" Illusory looked confused for a moment, and then it seemed to dawn on her very suddenly. "Oh! My designation. I suppose it does not blend well with that of your race's traditional names. I...cannot say I had considered such a change, honestly." She thought a little longer before her holoform shrugged. "Jazz likes to call me 'Lu', no matter how many times I have requested him to desist. I suppose that would suffice."

Charlie nodded, "Cool. If you like it, go with it. I think that's all we really need to solidify. Like I said, you can make it up as you go. Be creative." She smiled reassuringly to Illusory. "So when will you start classes? It's only like the fourth week or so. I think you may have already missed the deadline but you might go and talk to a counselor about it."

"I will see about making arrangements as soon as I am able. I do not expect any delay. I am submitting my documentations now."

"Alright. Speedy with the whole computer for a brain huh?" Charlie laughed, hoping the analogy didn't sound offensive.

Illusory stiffened a little. "You could say that." She knew Charlie didn't know about her processor augmentation, so she wasn't making a reference to that, but she couldn't stop the reaction. It had been ingrained in her to be wary of those who suspected her of the illegal modification. "It is incredibly simple to transmit information that way." She chose not to tell Charlie that she was pushing the application through all of the proverbial red tape even as they talked. It was more than just highly likely that she would have a place within the college before the day was out. "I suppose since that is all taken care of...what would you like to do?"

"I have nothing to do all day long," Charlie shrugged not seeing her friend's tense moment. "Miss I-want-to-see-things, what do you want to do?" She said spinning the question right back at Illusory.

"Hmmm," the femme pondered for a little bit. In the time she had spent rapid-downloading information, she had come across a few interesting things on this planet; both natural and 'man-made'. "Since the time I landed, I had only seen the canyon. My trip with the Autobots was far from anything interesting..." a slight growl crept into her voice for a moment as she spoke. "I would like to see one of the large human cities I have seen on the world wide web."

Charlie felt a smile cross her face. "Sounds like a trip to Salt Lake City. It's the closest one. Just an hour and a half away. Nothing massive but big enough."

"That sounds acceptable," Illusory agreed.

The redhead grinned and opened the car door. "I'll be right back with my purse," and with that she shot back up the stairs to her dorm.

Illusory nodded, closing her door behind the human. In the meantime, she thought she would look up a little information about the city they were about to visit. There were only just over a hundred million results in her general search – it wouldn't take her too long to download...

When Charlie returned with her purse over of her shoulder she tried opening the passenger door. For some reason it wouldn't open. She knocked on the window. "Illusory?" She looked up as a couple walked passed sparing her an odd look. Charlie smiled holding the pose until the couple was gone. "Lu? You in there?" She tried again.

With some minor recognition, Illusory opened her door for the human, though she only released the latches, her processor was far too occupied to allow her to actually swing the door open. After a few more minutes her download came to finish and she was able to register that there was more than just her in the area. "Oh, I apologize. I was looking up information on Salt Lake City."

Charlie sat down shutting the door and gave Illusory a quizzical look. "Ok," she said not entirely believing that it was a good thing for her friend to have such a far off look on her face. "I'm ready when you are," she said exchanging the look for a bright smile.

Illusory gave her a nod before beginning to move. Her holoform simply sat in the driver's seat, there was no real reason for her to make the appearance of driving, her windows were too darkly tented for outsiders to look in. "It appears to be a very interesting place."

"Yeah? How so?" Charlie understood that information could come to illusory really fast but if she was just googling it, her answers may prove very entertaining.

Illusory's systems made some odd sounds as she arranged for video clips, pictures, maps, and other items to appear on the inside of her windshield. Words scrolled as she spoke. She recited word for word what was scrolling:

"Salt Lake is a city of unexpected surprises and brims with history, art, culture, entertainment and recreation - all in a beautiful location at the foot of Utah's Wasatch Mountains.

"Salt Lake combines the amenities of a large metro area with the opportunity to take advantage of year round outdoor recreation within minutes in every direction. An attractive, safe, and growing city, Salt Lake offers unequaled views, a thriving economy, exciting nightlife, remarkable history, the warm hospitality of a small western town, and *The Greatest Snow on Earth, TM*."

Charlie was in awe of the information and how accurate she had been that Illusory would Google Salt Lake.

"Salt Lake is an incredible destination for patrons of the performing arts with: Ballet West, Utah Opera Company, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Repertory Dance Theatre, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, The Utah Symphony. Numerous theater groups and over twenty art galleries are within minutes of Salt Lake's downtown hotels."

Her holoform blinked as the information continued to scroll; images from so many different web results coming forward to be seen. The information was presented in a very formal documentation format, ordered from level of interest, to least recommended.

"Not Cybertron in its glory days, but I would easily say it is a nice substitution."

The young woman couldn't help but laugh. "You definitely got the tourist brochure, that's for sure. There's a lot to see that doesn't involve a screen. Let's go get lost in Salt Lake. It's more fun that way."

"It is fun to be lost?" Illusory sounded honestly confused. Not that she could get lost in such a small – by comparison – city, but the idea that Charlie _wanted_ to get lost was intriguing.

"Sometimes," she replied with a shrug, "My friends and I got lost one time last year. Got on the wrong bus. We couldn't do much besides stay on the bus until it took us back to the place we got on. We got to see a lot of Christmas lights that people had decorated their houses with along the way. We enjoyed ourselves instead of worrying about being lost. Sometimes it's fun to just wander around without really having a destination."

"That would be...terrifying." Illusory admitted. "I cannot imagine it, but I will try it. I am sure what you speak of, and what fills my processor are two completely different takes on the word 'lost'."

"We'll be ok. Salt Lake was built by Mormons. You can never get lost. Everything is built on a grid system. You just gotta find your way back to the main roads and I-15 is never too far away after that," Charlie reassured her.

"Hn," she agreed as she set her pace for the trip. She made an effort to actually remain near the posted speeds, though she did tend to push the limit a bit excessively from time to time.

Charlie settled in for the drive. It was neat to see the other canyon; Sardine Canyon, the residents called it. So named because of the width of the road, only being four lanes total that twisted and turned through the canyon. Being that it was the only way onto the I-15, it was a pain to drive.

The colors were still changing, heralding that winter would be around the corner. The previous year the snow had come in early November but with the weather that was supposedly coming, if it was cold enough, it might snow as early as Halloween. For now, everyone was enjoying that last little bit of golf and swimming before the cold started to set in.

Those in Salt Lake however, were still enjoying summer and getting ready for fall. The valley almost never had the same climate as the mountainous valleys and each climate had been new to Charlie when she had arrived in Utah. She missed the salty smell that seemed to just be part of the air and so under-appreciated. When she had moved to Logan, she immediately missed the ocean smell.

Going to Salt Lake meant smelling salt, obviously. The Great Salt Lake was notorious for smelling of salt but not in a good way. If the wind was blowing just right, it's overpowering stench would waft over you like a fog and make you gag. No one liked visiting the Lake when a storm was supposed to be coming.

Charlie quickly turned her thoughts away from the lake and towards the city. It really was a cool city. It seemed to stretch on for miles. Following the interstate, one wouldn't know where one city ended and another began. Back home there were stretches of desert and then spattering of towns. Here, it was just one long stretch of cities.

Illusory allowed the visions of this human city to fill her processor. It wasn't Cybertron; nowhere would ever be Cybertron, but this place was nice – it had something of a homey feel to it. She drove through the town, turning wherever something caught her attention, or wherever Charlie wanted to go see something. She even found a few places to park so they could walk around for a while, enjoying the many shops and boutiques available. The femme enjoyed seeing what humans found 'fashionable', or at the very least, desirable. It brought thoughts of stories she had heard of her own kind during the Golden Age; when such indulgences were common.

Charlie was grateful that Illusory was enjoying herself. She seemed to forget that Illusory was actually the car waiting outside and that this projection was simply an illusion. She just wanted to enjoy this time together. Later on, she thought of how well her name fit that description and smiled to herself for feeling clever.

Several hours had passed before Illusory had realized it. The sun was sinking low on the horizon and things were starting to shift to the night life. "This place is rather enjoyable," she commented as they wandered yet another street.

Charlie nodded, "I like Salt Lake, too. I like being able to get away from school for the day and just enjoy being out and about."

Illusory's attention was captured by deep thrumming music and loud voices coming from one brightly lit, and seemingly overfilled structure. There were thousands of different scents registering on her olfactory sensors, even though her alt mode was parked a few blocks away. "What is that?" She questioned as she drifted toward the collection of joyous humans.

Charlie looked ahead of them and a smile crept on her face. "It's a club. Very few here in Utah." she chuckled. "You wanna go inside?"

The femme nodded, entirely entranced by the scene before her. Down the street, a few people were startled as the white sport car came to life and crept forward.

"Gotta get in line," the redhead said waving Illusory forward.

"Okay," the femme nodded moving in the direction indicated. A few people took note of the two girls approaching.

One man took a double take as they came closer. "Hey!" He called, moving toward them. "Where did you get those contacts? Hey!" He kept pushing forward, having to move people out of his way to reach them. Illusory paid the man no mind, she had no idea who he was addressing, or what 'contacts' were outside of others you spoke with to gain information.

Charlie smiled at the man politely. If Illusory was gonna ignore him she might as well follow her lead.

The man finally reached them, his determination not having wavered any at the complete lack of reaction from the femme. "Hey, lady," he said, standing directly in front of Illusory, "I asked you a question."

"I apologize," Illusory finally looked at the man instead of the constant movement of people. "I must not have registered you. What is it you asked?"

The man looked a little thrown by the way Illusory spoke. "I asked where you got those gold contacts from."

"Contacts?"

"Her optometrist." Charlie said slowly, not liking the way he demanded to have his questioned answered. "Had a link to this online store or something," she shortly explained.

"Oh! That's cool!" The guy got very close to the femme, squinting his eyes to look better at hers. "Those are amazing. If it weren't for the color, and those weird little reflections, I wouldn't have ever known they were contacts! What's your guy's name? I'd love to get some like that."

"My 'guy'?" Illusory tipped her head slightly, managing a short search for the definition of an 'Optometrist'. "Primus," she stated rather matter-of-factually. "Good luck finding him, he can be quite illusive."

"He doesn't have an office?"

"Not exactly," the femme smiled slightly. "Some say he isn't even around anymore," she continued, enjoying the game of leading the human on with the misconception.

Charlie decided for the safe route to prevent any kind of confrontation. "She's from outta town," she supplied.

"Really? Where from?" The man pressed, moving with the girls as the line shifted forward, they would be the next to enter the club.

"New York."

"What? No way, you don't sound like a New Yorker."

Illusory looked to Charlie for what she should do now. She wasn't concerned, this one human hardly mattered, but if it became something to worry about, she worried how it all might turn out.

"Not everyone in New York has the accent," Charlie laughed easily saving Illusory. She'd met several that didn't have the typical accent that came from the large cities.

"Guess not," he smiled and shrugged. "What about you, where are you from?" He looked to Charlie, waiting expectantly.

"Southern Cali," she said, still not deciding yet if she would be nice to him if he intended to stick around.

"Awesome! I always wanted to go there." They were finally allowed entrance to the club, the music instantly drowning out normal conversation. The man followed the two girls inside, shouting loudly above the noise; "My name's Rick! What's yours?!"

Illusory was overwhelmed by the music, even through her holoform it was loud. She swayed slightly, her holoform glimmering slightly as she struggled to reset her sensors. Luckily for her, no one seemed to notice among all the bright flashing lights and contrasting darkness.

"I'm Charlie!" she shouted back, "Nice to meet you!"

"Il...Lu," Illusory caught herself before saying her full designation. "It is nice to make your acquaintance." The femme took in the scene once she was stable again. The club was full of people; most of them consuming something that her scans told her was not supposed to be consumed in any large quantity by the organic species, and the results of such large consumption was obvious in various stages. There was also an area designated for humans compelled to move in strange, rhythmic fashions. "Clubs dispense high grade?" The femme asked her companion.

"High grade?" she questioned. She looked around and suddenly the connection came, "Oh, alcohol. Yeah. Lots of drinking," she explained with a grimace, "I don't drink."

"Probably a wise decision," the femme nodded her agreement.

Charlie hadn't been to many clubs before. She knew she couldn't drink even if she wanted to. Still under 21 and all that. Naturally she didn't accept anything from anyone. She never was much of a dancer so she tried not to look too awkward swaying to the music.

Illusory took a few breems to understand the movements of the humans before she too joined in the dancing. She found it pleasant to lose herself in the music and move in time to the bodies around her. She was so into it she didn't notice the passage of time, or of people as some came to dance 'with' her, then left as they tired or found better prospects.

Charlie soon loosened up and did what she usually did; danced like no one was looking. When she really didn't try she was actually a pretty good dancer, but like her friend she really didn't notice that people gained and lost interest in her. She was just out with a friend having fun and it felt fantastic.

Hours passed and the club began calling for last drinks and cabs. People started drifting away and the place grew empty. Illusory was disappointed as they left, she had been enjoying herself. She located Charlie who wasn't very far from her. "This was rather enjoyable," she stated. "Perhaps we should do it again?"

Charlie was exhausted but she wasn't about to ruin Illusory's fun. They had spent all day wandering around, checking out the city and ending with a club, Charlie was enjoying herself immensely. "What time is it?" she asked trying hard not to sound tired.

The femme smiled, easily recognizing the signs of exhaustion. "It is well past time to return you home. I have kept you out too late." She waved her hand toward the door where her true self was creeping closer to the door as traffic moved at the sluggish pace of several people all trying to leave at the same time.

Charlie nodded not wanting to argue. She didn't have it in her right now. Following her outside she took in the fresh cold air. She hadn't noticed how hot it had been inside.

Illusory opened her door for the girl, and then moved her holoform to the other side, mimicking climbing into the driver's seat before she pulled away from the club.

She found it difficult to navigate the streets with so many people also trying to find their ways home, several that were illegally driving in some state of drunken stupor. She did her best to avoid them, and did rather well until they reached some open road where she could cut loose and let her engine run.

This Earth day had been full of everything she had been lacking hiding in the canyon outside Logan, and she loved it. Maybe being trapped here wasn't the worst thing that had happened to her, even if the Autobots and Decepticons had brought their war here. If she was lucky, they would move on without destroying this planet too. However, if the war came to threaten this world, Illusory vowed that she would stand on the side of the humans. She would protect them from her race.

She glanced over at her passenger. This was now her home, and she would be dragged to the Pit if she lost another home to that blasted war.

Charlie didn't realize how tired she really was. By the time they made it to the I-15 she was completely oblivious to anything. Her throbbing head soon ebbed and she was able to sleep without turning and adjusting herself over and over again.

Illusory continued on their way back to Charlie's dorm, her attention fully taken by her thoughts, and hardly on the road she drove on. She noted the sleeping human femme, and was pleased that she could be so comfortable with her.

Other cars raced along the road as well, heading in both directions. The road was far from overpopulated, but it wasn't abandoned either.

Caught in her thoughts, Illusory was taken completely by surprise when one vehicle suddenly swerved hard into oncoming traffic, causing another car to likewise swerve into her lane. She only had enough time to turn so that the oncoming vehicle would impact on her side without the sleeping human inside.

Charlie was jolted awake but would not remember it.

The impact threw the car several feet away from where Illusory was actually hit, and she tipped dangerously on her tires, but the thought of Charlie inside her made her fight with all her strength to remain righted.

Momentum swung the fragile human toward the door. For a split second she was suspended from her seat as she flew forward and her head made impact with the window.

When Illusory finally came to a rest, she heard silence.

"C-Charlie?"

The redhead lay limp, her right arm in a very strange position, and her cheek rested on her shoulder.

Scanning the human, Illusory whimpered. What was she going to do? Charlie was hurt, she had to get help, but from where? From who? Her processor was screaming at her, alarms going off from many of her systems, but they were not important. She had to get help for Charlie.

Conjuring up her holoform again, she began searching the wreckage surrounding them. She had slid the furthest from the devastation; sitting half on, half off of the road, a fearsome black smoke rolling from beneath her, but that didn't matter.

"Help!" She screamed on the top of her lungs. There were people moving about, people who had stopped to help the victims of the wreck. "Please, Ah don't know what ta do! Help her!"

A few people came over, they looked over Illusory's holoform, but she firmly pointed them towards Charlie. "Ah'm fine!" She snapped at them, "she's not! Help her!"

Once the humans were headed in the right direction, Illusory's panic started to drain – not that she wasn't concerned anymore, but her systems simply wouldn't allow for it to remain. Her holoform soon faded away, lost amongst the commotion as emergency vehicles rushed into the scene. She hardly noticed as her doors were torn open to free Charlie, and to search for any others that might have been there. By the time the tow trucks showed up, she was completely lost to herself, her systems demanding shutdown for repairs. The last thing she could still think of was Charlie. What would happen to her? Then, one other thought came to her, and she sent a message without even thinking twice about it.

::Scatterblade, Ah need ya ta come look after Charlie...:: That was all she had energy for. Spent, she caved to the demands for recharge and repairs her systems were pressing on her.

~*~

The sun had set when the group returned to base. Scatterblade was now lost. Should he go back to the hanger he'd been in previously or should he just wait for orders? He felt empty without being told what to do.

Jazz appeared beside the mech, nudging him slightly. "Come on, Ah'll show ya around."

He led the mech through the base, showing him their training areas – where they practiced working with the humans, and where they went to practice on their own (which Jazz helpfully pointed out was also where mech's like Ironhide went to blow off extra steam, and it showed) – he also showed him their recreational area, which was small and rather lacking, but it was theirs and no one was about to complain about it. He showed him where to go to get his ration of energon, also lacking but still, no one was about to complain. The tour ended with them standing in a long row of bunkers much like the hanger Scatterblade and Illusory had been held in. "They ain't much, but they're home," Jazz explained as he selected one in particular. "This will be yers. Yer neighbors are Jolt, and on the other side, Dino. Sorry, but it's what's available."

"It's more than I was expecting," Scatterblade chuckled. "Thanks, Jazz. For everything," he added, thanking him for the arrangement to be Illusory's partner.

"No problem, kid. Ya let meh know if ya need anythin'. Ratch' wants ta see ya before ya settle fer th' night, but take yer time to cool off first." With a wave, the smaller silver mech moved on, some other mission on his mind.

Scatterblade nodded and turned to look at the room for the first time. It was pretty bare. There was a desk made of cinder blocks holding up a slab of concrete and a berth of some sort though he couldn't tell what it was made of. He didn't much care though as he settled down onto it. He decided to sit rather than lie down and rested against the wall staring out the door that he'd left open.

Several 'bots passed by the open door, offering waves of greeting as they passed by. Most of them knew Scatterblade's story, and knowing made them a lot less hostile toward the mech that registered as a Decepticon to them. Still, none came to disturb the mech, mostly out of respect of the mech's need to rest after everything that had happened to him, some out of uncertainty of how to even interact.

The mech waved back offering small smiles to them. After several joors he stood and left the room. He was starting to feel like a caged animal; a novelty that was to be admired but not spoken to. He decided he'd give Ratchet a visit and see if the CMO could fix his signature quickly. After he'd walked passed the bunkers he stopped. He had no idea where he was going. He vented softly and glanced around to see who he could stop and ask directions from.

There were several mechs around, this time of day brought the downtime that allowed the mechs to do as they pleased while their human comrades made their shift changes. Most of them just stood around talking to each other, some went to the practice areas, some continued to work on their own projects.

Scatterblade spotted three that seemed okay to approach and ask. In hind sight he wished he could have remembered colors a little better. "Hey," he greeted catching their attention, "where can I find the medical..." then he remembered. Gold and silver. Slag, "...hanger?" he finished cautiously.

"Why?" The golden mech asked suspiciously. "What'd you do?"

The silver mech looked at their newest comrade with a great deal less suspicion than his twin, but there was still caution on his face. "Are you hurt?"

"He said he needed me before I went into recharge," Scatterblade said evenly.

Sideswipe laughed, all his caution fleeing with the action. "And you're going willingly?" Beside him, Sunstreaker gave a look of annoyance before turning his attention elsewhere. "Let me give you a clue, new guy; nobody goes willingly to see the Hatchet."

Scatterblade grunted grimly, "If I want to get my signature back, I'll have to make an exception," he said with a grin.

The silver mech looked pensive for a minute before giving a short nod. "Yeah, I guess you should get that straightened out. Wouldn't want to get accidentally shot by a friendly." He looked at his brother, who was very much not paying any attention to anything going on. "Come on, I'll show you where you're going."

Scatterblade nodded, "Bye," he said to the gold mech following his silver counterpart.

Sunstreaker waved as they left, heading in his own direction.

The black mech let his optics gaze at the ground, his processor going somewhere else. The not-so-friendly twin reminded him so much of Speedrunner. His optics shuttered as a sharp pain stabbed at his processor. He vented heavily and his framed shuttered involuntary.

The silver twin wasn't oblivious to the black mech's obvious discomfort and he struggled with himself for a while trying to decide if he should say something to him or not. Eventually, his inner nature won over and he spoke. "So, what's draggin' you down?"

Scatterblade may have lied for Illusory but he wasn't very much a liar to begin with. The truth just came easier to him. "Bad memories," he said simply. It didn't mean he was ready to spill his life story but a little truth here and there wouldn't hurt him. He grinned to the silver mech, "I'll be okay."

Sideswipe nodded. "We've all got some of those." The dark tone to his wistful voice made it clear that he had more than his fair share. "Here, that's the med bay. I'm not going in there, Hatchet will throw something at my head for something or another. Probably just for existing. Good luck!"

"Thanks," he chuckled stepping toward the room. Scatterblade stopped and spun around, "I never caught your name."

"Sideswipe. You'll hear it often, I'm sure." With a conspiratorial grin, the mech turned and left, mischief hung about him like a cloak – the mech was most likely up to no good.

Scatterblade shook his head chuckling as he entered the med bay.

Inside, Ratchet and Jolt were both moving about, some task seeming to have taken their complete attention for the time being. Neither noticed their company.

"Um," the younger mech started not sure how to address the two, "Ratchet, Jazz said you wanted to see me?"

The medic turned at the disruption and, spotting the black front-liner, smiled. "Well, at least some 'bots can follow orders around here." He set down what he was doing and motioned for Scatterblade to come sit on one of the berths. "Yes, I did want to see you. I have a program that will hopefully return your spark to the way it was. I would like to get started right away."

Scatterblade nodded sitting at the berth. "Thank you for all the help," he said.

"Don't thank me yet. I can't guarantee this is going to work." The medic prepared the things he would need to complete the procedure. "I'm going to have to put you into medical stasis for this; I have to get to your spark directly and it is far safer if you are offline during the process."

The younger mech felt the shudder again but calmed it. He hated going offline. Even for recharge. The memories came back; almost always the same intense feelings, as if it was happening all over again. But he nodded to the CMO. I can handle this. It's gonna be okay. His thoughts drifted to Illusory. Maybe he should contact her? But for what? She could do nothing for him. He vented softly and slowly. "Okay," he said.

With a nod, Ratchet began the process, accessing Scatterblade's systems to initiate the stasis. "Lay down," he instructed.

Scatterblade did as he was told and tried hard to keep his thoughts on more pleasant things. He really enjoyed the canyon he'd met the femmes in. When he wasn't being chased by the Decepticons. He had met his hero; who probably had planned on blasting him away, but in the end he hadn't. Hopefully he had made some friends here on the base, even though he wouldn't be here for very long. Still, even that was a good thing.

He vented softly. He wasn't good at this at all.

Ratchet activated the stasis protocol in the black mech and waited for it to take full effect while he finished preparing the other items. "You are in good hands," he assured the nervous mech as his systems went into standby. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not-" he stopped abruptly, his face changing from confusion to shock. "What? Charlie? Illusory?" He hadn't realized he had answered back aloud.

The medic mistook the mech's cries for nerves; his concerns for the femme and someone named 'Charlie' had to of come to surface with his slowing systems. "I'm sure they are fine as well."

"No," he shook his head trying in vain to sit up. He didn't know for sure, but by the message, her very tone of voice he knew something was wrong. Something had happened. He knew he couldn't fight the slowing systems and played the message for the room to hear. "::Scatterblade, Ah need ya ta come look after Charlie...::"

"Was that..?" Jolt asked coming closer.

"Illusory," Ratchet confirmed, trying to reverse the stasis. It would take a few breems, but the mech would be back online and they could figure out what was going on.

"That didn't sound like her," Jolt shook his head in confusion. "I mean, it _sounded_ like her, but that's not how she talks. Is this a trap?"

Ratchet shook his head finishing the reversal. "I don't know." Over the general com. system he sent a message for Jazz and Optimus to come to the med bay immediately. The two confirmed and were there before Scatterblade had a chance to come to his senses.

"What is going on?" Optimus asked with concern, seeing that the medics had obviously been in the middle of something with the mech.

Scatterblade felt fuzzy but he was coming out of the almost stasis. When he could speak, he said, "I got a message from Illusory. I don't know what happened but something ...something bad did. She only lets her speech go when something goes wrong. When she's emotionally spent. She sounded hurt."

Alarm shot through everyone in the med bay, and action quickly followed as Optimus was shouting out orders over the general com. and Jazz was already out the door to go scan for Decepticon activity. It wasn't long before the whole base was in an uproar, thinking that Decepticons might have attacked.

"Can you communicate anything further with her?" Optimus asked earnestly once everything was in full motion.

Scatterblade tried calling her but all he was getting was static. "Nothing," he said getting off the berth.

"We should not have left her alone," the Autobot leader lamented. "We will send a team out immediately to locate her."

"I'm going," Ratchet declared in a tone that allotted no argument.

"Very well," Optimus consented, already sending orders to the others he intended to send.

"Why mention Charlie," Scatterblade mused aloud, "What happened? Did she get caught in it too?" He looked up to Optimus, "I need to go, too."

"I am afraid that I have to deny you that, Scatterblade. If there is an enemy to be faced, and a battle were to brake out, I cannot guarantee your safety." He gave the mech an apologetic look, but seemed firm in his reasoning.

"Who is Charlie?" Ratchet asked as he came to stand beside his leader, waiting for the order to depart.

"She's a girl that stumbled upon Illusory before I met her," Scatterblade supplied in defeat, "Charlie Hall. If you find out anything about her, will you please tell me?"

"There is a human involved?" A very clear look of 'could this get any worse' crossed the medic's face at Scatterblade's answer.

"That is not good," Optimus almost groaned. "What can you tell me of this particular human? The more information we have of her, the better our chances of finding her."

"If she's still alive," Ratchet grumbled mournfully. It wasn't normally in his nature to be so pessimistic, but if the Decepticons had attacked a Neutral – any human that might have been around likely suffered a worse fate than the femme herself.

"We will locate the human," Optimus persisted, though his optics carried a measure of understanding for the medic's statement. "Please, tell me about this human; Ratchet, if you would inform Major Lennox of this new development?"

The CMO nodded as he left the room. Jolt busied himself cleaning and preparing whatever he could.

Scatterblade gathered himself quickly, "She's a college student. Sophomore. About twenty, I think. She has red hair. I didn't get to know her very well but she was really accepting of both of us. She's from a big family that live in California but she lives in Logan and goes to the school there," he said.

"Is that why Illusory expressed an interest in going to a human place of education?" Optimus ventured.

Scatterblade nodded. "They became fast friends," he added.

"That's a fast recipe for disaster," Jolt spoke up from where he was tucking away the last of the equipment. "It seems every time a 'bot gets close to a human, something bad happens."

Optimus did not argue with the mech, but he did spare him a look of discontent. "I am sure it is not as bad as that; however, we must prepare. Thank you for your information Scatterblade; we will do our best to locate the human."

 _I know you will_ , he thought. He nodded finally noticing the NEST soldiers hurrying to depart.

With that, the Autobot leader turned to join the collecting team preparing to depart. They were going to go by road; flight would take too long to arrange. Ironhide was one of the first to transform into his alt mode and allow many of the human NEST members to climb in and on him. Jazz wasn't far behind, shouting that no Decepticon activity had been detected, and to be on alert. Behind him came the black and white mech from before, giving out instructions on how they would handle the search and rescue through the city of Logan – based on what information he had gathered from everyone's interactions with the femme.

"There is also a human we must locate," Optimus added, giving the black and white mech the specifics on the human.

"Scanning emergency frequencies of the area will be priority as soon as possible; Jazz, I will leave that task to you."

"Sure thing Prowler," the silver mech agreed even as he began rolling forward. The team was gathered and everyone was heading out. Over a personal com. to Scatterblade, the saboteur offered some assurance. ::We'll find them.::

::I hate sitting useless like this,:: he grumbled. A thought jumped at him and he sent back, ::You might be able to track her phone. I'll give you her number.:: Anything to help find them quicker was more than welcome.

::That would be very helpful!:: Jazz sent back. ::If we can reach her, maybe she can tell us what happened.:: He waited half a klik before going on. ::Ah'm really sorry ya have ta stay behind, but the big guy knows what he's talkin' 'bout. 'Course...he never said ya had ta stay _here_ , per se...::

Scatterblade was silent for a moment. Should he tell him? He felt he could after what Jazz had already insinuated. ::I've got that taken care of,:: he said a bit mischievously.

::Just watch yer back, Ah'd hate ta have come save yer aft too.:: The saboteur teased.

The team was then gone, their speeds proceeded by the black and white police car alt mode, sirens blaring, clearing the way.


	11. Event Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a co-written fic between myself and roudyredd. It was written as a RP then converted into story format, so please excuse some mistakes that are bound to happen.
> 
> Scatterblade and Charlie belong to roudyredd  
>  Illusory and 'Tibs' belong to me.  
>  Guest appearance Nightwarp belongs to nightwarp
> 
> Some rather dark themes are expressed within this fic, but overall it is not a dark fic.

**Event Eleven**

~

_When the body is shattered, it is the illusion of the self that carries one through the darkest of times. Some things can never be repaired._

_~_

He never would have thanked the ‘Cons for anything, but this was a miracle in disguise...at least for now. There were two features he had figured out about the Pretender; one was its ability to be invisible for a while. The other was its ability to change outfits and faces to fit whatever demographic he was to hide in. So, since the N.E.S.T. team was sure to know every single man they had, he would sit tight in one of the humans’ vehicles until they reached Logan. Then he would leave them and try to find Charlie on his own. It was a good plan, he was sure.

He went to his bunker and shut the door. He could concentrate on his Pretender better when his frame was in recharge, so it just made more sense to make it appear as though he intended to recharge through this crisis.

The pretender slipped through the base quickly, easily sliding into an empty space inside one of the N.E.S.T. jeeps headed for Logan.

The trip was made in record time – for the Autobots – and the search began almost instantly as soon as they arrived, everyone braking into teams to do a full sweep of the town and surrounding areas. They didn't have much to go on to start their search, so the men had to get creative to avoid suspicion by the locals. After all, they might have been a specialized team, but they were still military in a collage town.

Jazz was listening attentively to all of the emergency broadcasts, but he split his attention long enough to call the number Scatterblade had given him.

“Logan Medical, how can I help you?” A woman's voice answered.

“Hello, Ah'm lookin' fer Charlie,” Jazz wasn't sure if the female voice on the other end was the femme he was looking for or not, but asking for the human by name couldn't hurt.

“Are you family or friend?” The woman asked in an all too professional tone.

Jazz was pretty familiar with the way humans acted. This woman was guarding information about Charlie, and the question led him to believe that it probably wasn't good information either. “Uh, friend,” the mech lied.

“I’m sorry, sir,” she started in a kinder, yet still professional tone, “I can’t release specifics right now, but there was a car accident. I can take a message for you if you would like.”

“Slag,” the mech registered two things; car wreck and Logan Medical. “Muh name's Jazz, thank ya fer tellin' meh, we'll come see her when she's out.”

The phone clicked and he sent out a message to the others. ::Guys, Ah've located th' human at Logan Medical, an' Ah think Ah know what happened ta Illusory...we gotta find her quick.::

Scatterblade hesitated for a brief moment. His frantic thoughts turned to Illusory's plea to him. _::Scatterblade, Ah need ya ta come look after Charlie...::_ Her message replayed in his processor again and again before his mind was made up.

Ejecting himself from the vehicle he ran toward the hospital. The ‘Bots would take care of Illusory, Charlie was much more fragile. Besides, Illusory told him to look after her and he wasn't going to let the femme down.

Scatterblade passed through the hospital easily enough, 'dressing' himself in scrubs and finding Charlie's room using one of the hospital computers, also noting that Charlie was being watched over by her aunt and uncle. It was about lunch time now and he hoped Charlie’s aunt and uncle had gone down to the cafeteria to eat. He paused a moment to listen before he walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

The room was indeed empty, aside from the single still form tucked neatly in bed.

He waited a few kliks, unsure of what to do or what to think. She was so very still, her hair was in a loose, very distressed pony tail. Blood matted the hair around her face and the mech could see several bandages on cuts. Blue and purple bruises covered what was visible of her right arm. He almost didn't comprehend it. Then his knees gave out as it hit him. He caught himself and lowered down into a chair, disbelief and anger churning his tanks.

Her arm was fine from the shoulder down to the elbow, but after that point a white bandage wrapped tightly around what was left of her lower arm. Scatterblade almost lost the connection to the pretender with the violent tirade of emotions going through him, but he forced himself to calm down and keep control of the shaking body. “Illusory’s gonna glitch,” he whispered trying to break the awful silence that clung to the room between Charlie’s breaths.

He reached out to touch her face but pulled back, sensors alerting him that Charlie’s family was coming down the hall. In panic, he knocked over the chair he had been sitting in, causing a loud noise to fill the room. With a soft curse he righted it, then slipped out of the room before her family got close enough to spot him. He needed to calm down before he completely lost control in his grief. He needed to stay strong, pull himself together, focus.

He needed to find a computer, he thought starting to calm down. The greatest downfall of his pretender was its inability to just tap into the local data streams. If he could access a computer long enough to find Charlie's report, then there was a high chance it might say where the wreck was and where Illusory had been impounded.

...

The mechs all started searching for car wrecks with the specific alt mode Illusory had. When they discovered the multiple car wreck caused by a drunk driver, they rushed to the scene. They suspected the femme wouldn't be there, but at least they would have a place to start.

The 'bots immediately scanned for evidence upon arriving at the scene and it wasn't long before they found bits of Illusory's armor; shattered beneath the force of impact. She was a Neutral spy, not a warrior, and as such, her armor was not very strong. She was designed for speed and maneuverability, not impact. The energon still seeping into the ground was clear evidence of that.

Jazz traced the tire tracks back to the point of impact and was disturbed by just how far the femme was thrown. “Ah hope they survived,” he lamented softly.

Their human teammates were already scouring the area, finding anyone who had any information, but the people who had come to clean up had no idea where anyone or anything had been taken, they were just there to clean.

A personal com message pinged Jazz. ::Where are you guys?:: Scatterblade asked.

::On th' highway, what's up?::

::I went to see Charlie,:: the young black mech said, his voice carrying obvious distress. ::She’s alive but...:: he didn't want to finish. ::I have Illusory’s location. They took her to an impound lot.::

::Where? Th' sooner we can get ta her, th' better.:: The mech specifically didn't ask how the front-liner had gotten there, he didn't want to know. After all, he was the one that had mentioned the loophole in the rules Optimus set.

Scatterblade sent him the coordinates and decided to head there himself. The ‘Bots wouldn’t be able to register him and it would be quicker to ride with the soldiers than walk back to base.

Jazz shared his information in the same manner he would have shared an interesting bit of news; without reference of where it came from, or any preamble before he headed out toward the impound lot. The others knew better than to question him when it came to details on his information and followed the mech as he sped off, only pausing long enough to gather their human team mates.

Reaching the impound lot, Will and Rob rushed to the station to clear the femme.

Ratchet was already scanning the lot for the femme; growing more distressed as his scans came up empty. ::Jazz, are you positive this is the place?::

::As sure as Ah can be.:: The saboteur was devoting just as much of his sensor array searching for the femme as the medic, and was growing a little less sure as each scan passed.

Inside, the humans were having trouble getting through; the man inside didn't want to let anyone through apparently – government or not.

“Look,” Will finally lost his patience, “we have all the legal right to pass that we need to have, let us through or I will have you so deep in red tape you will never see daylight again.”

“Yeah,” Rob agreed, “and that's if I don't deal with you first.” As different sectors of the same team, each man held different authority, but they could easily compile them for the best effect.

Scatterblade reached the impound lot under his own volition, and was slightly surprised to find everyone just sitting there. Had he been wrong? Was this the wrong place? Or...maybe it was worse than he had feared. ::Illusory? Can you hear this? It’s Scatterblade, come in,:: he called over a private com to the femme.

Somewhere, deep in her processor, the femme heard the com, but she couldn't bring herself around enough to respond. Instead, she attempted to release the dampener that was programmed to come online if she went offline. It was a struggle, but for the briefest of moments she was able to drop it before losing that small grasp on consciousness.

::I got her!:: Ratchet declared, his alt mode pushing through the gates even as they started to open to allow him in. The others were quick to follow, but as they passed through the gates, they lost the weak signal they had gotten. ::Look for her, she's here somewhere,:: the medic snapped. His scans hadn't been able to obtain a full sweep, but what he had gotten back wasn't pretty.

Scatterblade had also caught the brief signal and jumped on it. The impound lot was a maze of varying levels of dilapidated vehicles and it was infuriating him. He ran through the lot looking for anything that looked familiar, and as he passed one row in desperation he paused. He was pretty sure he had just seen her alt mode. He hurried toward the figure but stopped short, falling to his knees trying in vain to grab the closest car to keep him up.

The femme's frame was twisted, almost all of her armor – acting as the shell of the car's exterior – had been torn from her left side, exposing much of her inner workings. The front left tire was gone, completely torn from its place. All of her windows were webbed with thick cracks. Blood still stained her interior from Charlie's injuries. Thick, blue energon coated nearly everything there, splashing over the white of her hood and what remained of her back panel. It was not running freely any longer, but a large puddle had formed beneath her.

The mech pushed the pretender to his feet and place a hand on a part of his friend’s alt mode that wasn’t covered in energon. “Oh Primus,” he groaned.

Several humans came tromping by, hardly noticing the pretender and the wrecked car. That is, until one of them noticed the bright blue liquid smearing the white paint.

“Hey!” One of the soldiers shouted. “Over here!”

Scatterblade vanished from sight at the sound of the soldier's voice, and stayed opposite the aisle from the others. He simply couldn't get himself to leave, but he didn't want to be in the way either.

Ratchet moved in quickly enough, scanning the femme carefully as he got close to her. “We have to get her out of here, I can't do much without transforming.”

“This place has the equipment to haul,” Rob offered as he took stock of the many tow trucks lining the impound lot. “We can confiscate one of them to get her home...will...uh, will she be okay that long?” Even if they knew very little about their alien friends, the humans could easily see the femme was hurt badly, and they were all thinking the worst.

“She is in emergency stasis; damage is being kept to a minimum...” It wasn't so much an answer as it was a reason to act quickly. “I need to get her to where I can do some work to get her stable.”

“On it.” Will and Rob split instantly, Will going to confiscate one of the trucks and Rob to inform the attendant that he was not going to stop them.

Scatterblade stood useless. He didn’t want anyone, except Jazz, to know that he had come and he knew he would be of better help if he just stood aside and let the other ‘bots get Illusory back to base.

When the humans got the truck into position and started hauling the femme up, her frame shook unnaturally. Even after they had her pulled up on the flatbed and secured, she shook slightly. The movement could have been easily dismissed as the rumbling of the truck – but any looking that knew, could tell it was the femme's stressed body reacting to more pain than she could handle, even in the state of unconsciousness she was currently in.

“Let’s go!” Will called from his place in the passenger seat of the confiscated truck.

Scatterblade was thankful for the command jarring him out of his shock. Following the humans, he joined the team once again and settled in trying hard to keep memory files from jumbling or rearing their ugly heads again. He couldn't help but to feel that this was just more of the same. The poor femme had been swept up in the ever ill-fated trudges of his life.

They drove for quite some distance before Ratchet demanded they stop so he could tend to the femme. Pulling off the road, they found a spot mostly secluded from any stray eyes and the medic was the first to transform. Not one other mech had the opportunity to transform before he had his hands deep within the femme, trying to repair some of her more vital lines.

“I can't believe a human vehicle did this to her,” he griped. “I haven't seen armor this flimsy since...” he let the sentence drift, not really wanting to remember the last time he had seen civilian grade armor torn in such violent ways.

“She gonna live?” Rob asked as he dared climb up on the back of the truck beside the femme, though he stayed on the passenger side to keep from being in Ratchet's way.

“If I have anything to say about it, she will.” The medic's movements were very confident and well-practiced as he worked.

The young black mech was relieved by Ratchet’s declaration. He wanted to stay near Illusory so that he could try to talk to her but he didn’t dare leave the humans’ vehicle. So he instead did his best through a silent com. She wasn't answering, but he didn't care; he hoped that she at least knew he was there.

“What about th' human?” Jazz asked after the silence had gone on long enough. “Don't ya think we should keep an eye on her? After all, there's energon everywhere, what if she was exposed?”

“That is a reasonable observation,” Optimus admitted, his optics watching the medic work on the femme.

“Ah'll do it,” Jazz volunteered.

“I will stay as well,” Prowl spoke up.

“Very well,” Optimus consented, “keep us updated.”

“Yes, sir.” Prowl saluted and turned to head back to the town.

Jazz spared one last look for the femme before he also turned to go back. As he reached the road he paused. ::Scatterblade, are you coming with us, or are you staying with Lu?::

The front liner nodded to himself after a short pause. ::She’s in good hands. Illusory asked me to watch out for Charlie. I’ll head back with you guys.::

The saboteur waited, not entirely sure what he was waiting for, but knowing that Scatterblade was in the area somewhere.

The pretender hurried from the jeep and up to Jazz. He would never get used to how big everyone looked when he was in pretender form. He placed a hand on Jazz’s door. ::I’m right behind you.::

Jazz started at the touch, he hadn't sensed anything approaching at all. He opened his door quickly enough. ::Hop in.::

The black mech sighed in relief and climbed into the driver's seat of the small Solstice. He let the invisibility fade and he finally felt the exhaustion of this small frame. “Thanks Jazz,” he sighed.

“Don't mention it. So, this is yer pretender? Interestin'.”

“Yeah. It came in handy today.” Scatterblade rested against the seat and shut his eyes.

“Yeah, it sure did,” Jazz agreed.

The silver mech closed his door and took to the road fast enough to fishtail slightly. Prowl was waiting not far, an inquiring ping hit Jazz's com, but he simply explained that he had to pick up someone. “How ya holdin' up?”

“I'll be fine,” he replied shaking his head.

Jazz allowed the silence to linger, letting Scatterblade be with his thoughts and rest as they returned to town and then to the hospital Charlie had been taken to. The two mechs parked outside. Jazz quickly drew up his holoform, but Prowl chose to keep all his focus on the perimeter instead.

Scatterblade stepped out glancing at his odd reflection when Jazz’s door closed. His skin was dark and the long black hair was straight. His eyes, blue like his optics, contrasted greatly with the Native American look. He wore simple grey t-shirt and denim jeans with sneakers on his feet. It was the same as his holoform and he found it somewhat interesting that the pretender would default to the same image.

Jazz let Scatterblade lead the way. He had never been in a human hospital, but already it felt too familiar. The only difference was that the patients here weren't ravaged by war. Well, at least a majority of them weren't.

Scatterblade walked past several people so quickly that most didn’t notice the change as a white lab coat appeared over his attire. ::Disguise time yet again,:: he joked to Jazz, ::Play along.::

::Ya got th' lead, kid.:: Jazz's holoform smiled with the amusement he was feeling, and he followed Scatterblade's guidance.

The pretender maneuvered the halls and elevator with ease, even after only being here once. He finally came to the door which was on a quiet, nearly deserted floor. He let the coat disappear and knocked on the door. A shorter woman about the same height and red hair as Charlie answered it.

“May I help you?” she asked her face puffed from crying though she tried to smile.

“We’re some friends of Charlie’s. Can we come in?” Scatterblade asked politely.

The older woman smiled and nodded. “You boys are in luck, she’s even awake.”

Scatterblade entered and offered a rather broken, though heartfelt smile.

The red head on the bed glanced up at her visitors. At first there was no recognition in her eyes, but as she looked there was a faint spark of realization.

“Hey. Just checked in on Lu. She’s in good hands.” Scatterblade promised, though his voice didn't quite carry the confidence he wanted.

Charlie smiled nodding slightly. “Good,” she wheezed. She tried to clear her throat. Unsuccessful, she went to reach with her right hand to grab the class of water. When the white covered stump barely reached her bedside table, she paused. The two adults looked on in remorse and her aunt looked about ready to cry again.

Charlie let the arm fall and with her left grabbed the water. “I’m glad she’s okay,” she said softly after drinking.

Jazz watched the human girl, noting her confusion at first, and then her recognition as Scatterblade spoke to her. For a human, she seemed to be taking all of this very well...then again, she was probably heavily dosed on pain medication. He sympathized with her lost limb, a previous conversation coming to mind about how humans didn't have replacement parts like Cybertronians did – she would have to live with the loss forever.

“Ya remember what happened?” He questioned, speaking softly.

She looked down at her arm then up to the newcomer. She didn’t know him but he seemed nice. Maybe he was one of the soldiers Illusory had told her about.

Charlie smiled to him and shook her head. “Just what witnesses and paramedics told me. We were driving home and some drunk hit us. I went to sleep on the way back and woke up here,” she glanced down again, “without my arm.” Her voice trembled somewhat and her eyes clouded with tears. “Gonna need some of that Vicodin again,” she mumbled to her family. Her aunt jumped to her feet and prepared the medication.

Jazz nodded, not wanting to push the human any further. It was probably going to take her some time to get used to all of this. ::Ah'm gonna head out. No need ta stress her anymore then she already is. Take yer time, we're not goin' nowhere.:: He clapped a hand on Scatterblade's shoulder before turning for the door. “Ah hope ya feel better lil'lady. Lu'll be wantin' ta see ya on yer feet again.”

Charlie nodded giving him a small wave. Scatterblade was about to take a seat when a nurse came in. “Visiting hours are over. Mr. and Mrs. Wall you can stay the night. I've got some special permission for you. Sir,” she said turning to the pretender.

Scatterblade nodded, understanding the request. He waved to Charlie then turned to catch up with Jazz. “Couldn’t stay,” he explained. “Don’t - don’t really think I wanted to.” he said trying not to let his emotions get to him.

“Ah understand. It's hard to see them hurt like that.” There had been many times that he had seen his human teammates, friends, and brothers in arms, torn and broken, and it was always hard to see. Not that it was any easier to see his 'bot friends maimed either; but at least they could be fixed most of the time. “Ya wanna head back? Ah can have Prowl hang an' watch over her while Ah take ya to base if ya want.”

“Yeah, Ratchet will yell at me if he sees I’m missing half of myself,” he chuckled glumly. “I don’t like being so disjointed like this.”

“How...” the mech started tentatively, “how, exactly, does all that work? Ah mean with ya bein' so far from yerself?” He led the way back through the hospital toward where he was parked outside.

Scatterblade sighed. “I don’t know all the specifics. I can use the Pretender and function at the same time though it can be difficult. Most I can do is a ventriloquist act,” he joked, “so I just stay still somewhere and focus on keeping this one moving and...pretending, I guess. There is a bit of a strain. I haven’t figured out how to refuel this body other than combining the two when we return. That seems to be the only thing I have to worry about. Not sure how it made it this far without glitching to be honest.”

“Huh, interestin'. Well,” he waved to where his alt mode was sitting just beyond the door waiting for them, “let’s get ya back ta yerself. Prowl said he'd stick close ta keep an eye on th' human. Ah'll come back once yer home...” he sounded like there was an 'and' to that statement, but he never finished. His holoform made the action of walking around and getting into the driver's seat before it vanished and he took off.

Scatterblade smiled to himself knowing what he was going to say. Sitting down again made him feel weary. Maybe he should figure out the pretender problem when he got back. He could ask Ratchet about it after his signal was back to normal. Part of him worried about whether or not they’d catch up to the team so that when someone went looking for him they wouldn’t see the obvious missing parts and relatively unresponsive mech. The rest of him was just too tired to really care about anything besides Illusory and Charlie. He sighed softly thinking about how Illusory was going to take Charlie’s condition or the other way around if Illusory’s healing didn’t go fast enough.

Jazz made the trip as swiftly as he could, several things driving him to move fast; one was the fact that Scatterblade's pretender form appeared weak and weary – surely a sign that the mech was broaching the limits of this form; another was that he had no idea what was happening with Illusory, and he felt somewhat responsible for her; lastly was that he was afraid the femme might come online at base and find herself surrounded by Autobots that she didn't trust. That would not end well for anyone.

They pulled into base not far behind the others; Ratchet and his emergency alarms had lead the way, clearing the path for the team, but they still had to travel quite a bit slower than they might have liked due to the tow truck's limited capacity and the danger of harming the one it carried.

Ratchet was barking orders to those around him, trying to get Illusory moved to the med bay without causing any further harm to her, but it seemed that every time they touched her, something else cracked or another piece of her armor fell off. “Be careful!” The medic snapped as those that were working to lift her knocked another panel loose.

“Poor Lu,” Jazz whispered as he maneuvered around the others, avoiding them so that they wouldn't notice his return until after he had dropped off Scatterblade near his hanger.

Scatterblade pressed his hands on the window so he could see her. It was numbing to seeing her so badly damaged. It felt even worse to be in this vulnerable form, useless and tired, but soon he would be back together and then he would hover like mad outside the med bay like the worried friend he was.

Reaching Scatterblade's hanger, Jazz slid to the shadows and opened his door. “Here's yer stop kid.” He waited long enough to be sure the pretender could make it back to his mech form before he commed on the general line to let the others know he had arrived with an update from the human side of things; using the need to refuel as his excuse for coming back with the news.

“Do I owe ya fare?” the pretender joked trying to keep his mind off of everything.

“Let's just call it uh favor ta be called on at uh later date,” Jazz said in a way that clearly showed the smile that couldn't be seen.

Scatterblade laughed a big smile on his face. “See ya later,” he said slapping the roof of his alt mode as he would to a comrade’s shoulder. He hurried to his bunker and slipped inside.

Jazz slid away, transforming when he had reached a point no one would be able to tell where he had just come from, and made his way to the med bay.

They had gotten Illusory inside and set up on a berth. Currently Ratchet and Jolt were struggling to bring the femme online long enough to transform. They were discussing doing a forced transformation, but worried that without her conscious to tell them what was, or wasn't moving, or what was missing, or what was out of place, they might cause more harm than good.

“Come on, Lu,” Jazz mumbled from his place near the door. He wanted to see something that would tell him the femme was okay. The damage looked horrible, but he'd seen worse. Of course, it had always been the soldiers that pulled through and Illusory was most definitely not a soldier.

Once Scatterblade felt he was back to normal he hurried to the med bay. He was smart to rest himself while the Pretender was in Logan. He was already feeling the Pretender refuel from his own reserves and it was draining him. If he hadn't been recharging before, he would be in trouble now.

The mech rounded the outside corner of the med bay and hurried inside without preamble. He wanted to see Illusory with his own optics.

Jazz still stood just outside the door as Scatterblade came up beside him.

“She still out?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the saboteur nodded slightly, his optics not moving from where the medics worked. “They're tryin' ta get her ta transform so they can work on her, but it ain't goin' so hot.”

Scatterblade watched the struggle going on inside and his spark ached to see it. “Illusory,” he murmured. ::Come on, you can make it out of this,:: he sent a quiet reassuring message to her.

There was a loud groan, followed by an even louder screech of pain as the femme came tentatively online.

“Illusory!” Ratchet shouted to be heard over her cries. “We need you to transform so we can help you! Can you transform?”

The femme's frame shuttered violently, but there was no obvious attempt to transform.

“She isn't hearing us,” Jolt shouted, “Should I give her some analgesics?”

“No, we don't know how stable she is, we can't take the chance. Illusory! You have to listen to me, I want to help you.”

Scatterblade jumped at the femme's loud response. “Come on,” he cheered softly. ::You’re not gonna let some earth vehicle kick you to the curb, are ya?:: He asked praying to Primus she was hearing him.

Beside him, Jazz stood straight, hope shining clearly through his entire frame.

The femme's screams died down to loud whimpers. “Charlie!?” She called out; confusion and desperation clear in her voice. “Charlie!?”

“The human is being cared for, Illusory.” Ratchet talked firmly, slowly, hoping that the femme was aware enough to hear him. “You need to listen to me now; we are trying to help you. Can you transform?”

::You kept her safe. She’s alive,:: Scatterblade soothed. ::As soon as I can, I’ll be out there to help her, but you need to transform right now. You need to open your audios and do what Ratchet says, alright?:: he commanded softly.

With another loud groan, and the horrid sound of tortured metal, the femme began transforming painfully slow as parts tried to move past the damage.

“Good!” Jolt cheered her on. “Just like that, keep going, you're doing fine!” He and Ratchet watched carefully as her damaged parts began unfolding.

Almost all of the damage stayed to her left arm and what remained of her leg; however, the initial impact had hit her front, leaving heavy damage to her chest area.

Once she was fully in her 'bot mode, Illusory looked around until she saw Scatterblade near the door. “Where?” She asked weakly.

“She’s at the hospital in Logan. She’s got family looking after her,” he said trying to keep his voice level. “She was smiling,” he half laughed. “She’ll be alright.”

Grunting her acceptance, Illusory's optics dimmed, most of her systems already dragging her back into stasis. She glanced at the two medics working on her, and alarm passed over her.

“Stay calm,” Ratchet soothed, “we only want to help you.”

Scatterblade stepped into the bay and placed a hand on her good arm. “Easy. You’re gonna be okay,” he said not paying the medics much head. She needed familiarity. She needed someone she trusted.

Her optics fixed on the mech again, fear was apparent, but she didn't struggle against the medics. Instead, she took a deep intake, vented heavily, and fell into stasis.

“She's stable,” Ratchet informed the mech quickly, before he could become alarmed. “She's just in a lot of pain and low on energon. A few orns and she'll be up and around.”

“This is why civilian class armor should never have been created,” Jolt griped as he pulled away the worst of the damaged bits still on the femme. They were destroyed, beyond repair. “She's going to need an upgrade.”

“Should Ah go ask Wheeljack ta get started?” Jazz came to look over the femme a little closer, cringing at the splintered armor.

Ratchet nodded. “If you would, that would be very helpful.”

Scatterblade vented in relief and managed to grin, albeit weakly. He kept his hand on her arm for a moment longer than stepped back. “What can I do?” he asked, the need to be given an assignment pulling at his systems.

Jolt was quick to get the mech to work – it wasn't often they had volunteers around the med bay. Mostly he had him cleaning energon from the still good armor they removed from the femme; every now and again either Ratchet, or Jolt would ask him to hand them something, or hold something. The two medics worked quickly and rather diligently, putting the femme back to rights in record time.

It wasn't until they were out of ready supplies that they stopped. The femme was stable and most of her damage had been repaired. Her leg still looked rough, but it would at least function, and her chest was no longer crushed in, though much of her sensitive inner workings were exposed.

“That will have to do for now,” Ratchet vented finally. “Her self-repair will take care of the finer details; everything else will just have to wait until we can obtain a suitable replacement.”

The young black mech nodded, weariness now setting in. He hadn’t done nearly as much at the two medics but he felt the pretender refueling itself inside him. It was like a parasite leeching his energy away, recharge sounded amazing right about now.

Ratchet was the first to leave the med bay – though he didn't go far; only to a hanger across from the building that he had demanded as his own so that he could be close at all times.

Jolt vented as he watched his mentor leave. “You might as well go rest while you can. Nothing stays calm around here for very long,” the younger medic warned.

The front liner nodded giving Illusory’s hand one last squeeze before heading to the door.

***

An orn passed before Illusory came back online; though when she did it was heard around the base. The femme had been confused; she didn't know where she was, she didn't remember everything that had happened, but what she did remember had her screaming like a banshee trying to get away from the hands that tried to keep her on the medical berth.

::Scatterblade!:: Ratchet roared over the general com line. ::Would you please come to the med bay!:: It was not a request by any means, despite the words used. Ratchet was obviously struggling and looking for anything he thought might give him an upper hand.

The black Bonneville spun out of his bunker. Transforming to his bipedal mode, he jumped up and skidded to a halt, his hand catching the door frame to the med bay to turn himself around, then rushed to Illusory. “Hey! Calm down! It’s me! It’s Blade,” he soothed taking her face in his hands gently.

“Where am Ah?” She asked shakily. “What happened?” Her optics were wild with confusion and fear, darting from Scatterblade to the other 'bots still trying to keep her from hurting herself. “Get off meh!”

“Stay still and I’ll tell you,” he compromised. He looked to Ratchet, hoping he looked confident. “Could you step off for a kilk?”

Illusory calmed a little as the others backed away cautiously. She tried to sit up, but found the motion painful and settled back. “What's goin' on?” She groaned miserably.

“Stay still,” he reminded, his voice much softer this time. “I have some news that's-- hard to take but you have to stay still.” He vented heavily as he collected himself. “You and Charlie were hit by a drunk driver. Charlie was taken to the hospital but she’s in stable condition. She’s alive and her family is with her. She’s in good hands. Jolt and Ratchet have been trying to do the same for you.”

The femme stilled as she tried to sort through her recent memories; the accident came slamming back to her very suddenly. “Oh, Primus...” she whispered. “Ah should'a been payin' more attention...” she felt horrible. She remembered seeing the blood, the strangeness of Charlie's still body, her fear. “She's gonna be okay? How bad was she hurt?”

Scatterblade paused, working up the next bit of news. “The damage to her arm was so severe...that they had to amputate.”

Illusory groaned again. “How long 'til they can repair it?” She pressed one of her own hands to her face, trying to rub away the confusion and grogginess.

There were a few sounds of surprise and sympathy from those around them at her comment. Illusory didn't know much about humans, that much was clear.

The front liner hung his head, not realizing he would have to spell it out for her. “They can’t, Illusory,” he said mournfully. “Once a human loses something like that...they can’t be fixed.”

All of the femme's movements stopped, she even stopped cycling air. “What?” The shock in her voice was unmistakable. She didn't understand how that could be possible.

“They can't repair her arm. The most they can do for her is get a prosthetic. A fake limb that will serve as more of a prop. So she looks less...conspicuous.” He stumbled over his words in trying to keep his grief from touching the surface.

“But...that can't be true!” She tried to sit up again, this time ignoring the pain in her chest to do so. “It can't be! How will she function with one arm?” Her optics fixed the medics in the room with a very pleading look. “Ya can fix 'er, right? Ya can make it alright, can't ya?”

Jolt looked at a complete loss as to what to say or do. He didn't really know how to make it so the femme understood organics and their limitations. He had struggled with it himself for the first Earth year he had been here, seeing all the damaged humans that couldn't be repaired.

Ratchet on the other hand, had vorns of breaking horrible news to 'bots that didn't want to hear it. “I'm sorry, Illusory. Human biology isn't something we can repair.”

“Ya have to!” She pleaded, hoping beyond hope that she was misunderstanding all of this and that it wasn't nearly as bad as what she was thinking it was.

“Illusory, humans are extremely adaptable,” Scatterblade said, a sudden idea of encouraging words coming to his processor. “They learn how to do it all the time. She will adjust,” he soothed.

She looked at Scatterblade, completely uncomprehending what he was trying to tell her. He couldn't possibly be saying that the human would be just fine without her arm – how could that be true? “It can't be real,” she stated. “Muh processor...it's messed up...has ta be...” She shook her head a little before trying to get to her feet. “Ah'll go see fer muhself. It's not real.”

Ratchet leaped forward to stop her from trying to stand, but she slid past his hand before he could grab her. Her feet touched the ground, but did not provide her with any support.

Scatterblade caught her before she hit the ground, though he did end up buckling his knee. The pretender unit was really taking it out of him. “You’re not going anywhere,” he grunted, pulling her back to her feet and keeping her steady.

Ratchet and Jolt came around to help the femme back to the berth. They were both very gentle with her, showing more kindness than they probably would have to any of their soldiers.

“Femme,” Ratchet scolded softly, “you are in no condition to do anything. Your own repairs are far from complete.”

Illusory sat staring at her mangled leg and the near complete lack of armor covering her frame. It seemed to all sink in at that very moment. “It is real, isn't it?” She whispered. “Slag. It is my fault, she must be so angry with me.”

“No,” the front liner said firmly, maybe a little too firmly, he realized in hind sight. “It’s not your fault. She was glad we got to you in time. Charlie’s probably more worried about you.”

“She is worried about me? She is the one who has lost a limb to my inattentiveness.”

He chuckled weakly, “She’s strong. And stubborn. I think she’s still in shock about it all.”

“I want to go see her,” she insisted. “I have to at least apologize.”

“You can't go anywhere for a while,” Ratchet interjected. “You need to let your repair systems do their job. We'll have replacement armor in a few orns, and hopefully quality supplies to finish your base repairs will be available by then too.”

“You're keeping me here?” She asked suspiciously.

“As a medical professional keeping a patient that is not healed, nothing more,” the medic assured her. “You are not a prisoner, you've done nothing wrong. I simply can't let you wonder off like this; it would be hazardous to your health.”

Scatterblade decided to try another tactic with the obviously frazzled femme. “Charlie needs the rest too. I didn’t stay because she doesn’t need visitors right now. She needs to heal and you do, too.”

Illusory looked torn, but eventually gave in. “Very well,” she vented. “I suppose a few orns will not matter much.” She laid back down with Ratchet's guidance. She seemed loathe to do as the medic told her to do, but had little strength to protest. “I cannot believe an Earth vehicle did this to me,” she grumbled.

“Neither did we,” Scatterblade chuckled, more tired than amused. “Everyone was running around like you’d been attacked by a Decepticon.”

“I would hope that I could have given a Decepticon a little more run for the damage; I did not even see that sparkless thing coming.” She vented harshly. “Humans should not be allowed to drive like that, it is irresponsible.” The thought of Charlie now missing an arm, and the damage done to herself, made her feel bitter toward the human that had caused the damage. What if others that had been involved? How many humans were wounded beyond repair? Were any of them offlined? How were such conditions even allowed to happen?

Before she could stop it, her processor turned to searching for answers on the human World Wide Web; searching for laws and penalties and how such individuals were to be apprehended. Her already groggy and confused processor was overwhelmed by the rapid download, her hunger for answers only making it worse.

The younger mech vented, “Drunk driving is against the laws the humans have. Punishments for it are pretty severe. Especially when there casualties or injured.”

“Why must there be injuries or worse before action is taken?” She grumbled beneath the whine of her processor going into overdrive.

Ratchet vented with annoyance as he rushed to get something to stop the femme's overloading systems. “I see the block has worn off,” he mumbled to himself.

“That’s not what I meant. They are detained. Then their license is taken from them so that can’t drive and ...” he stopped there, thinking it pointless to continue. She wouldn’t want to understand right now; Charlie was the ‘injury’ he was talking about so bluntly and without regard. Scatterblade ignored Ratchet’s mumblings.

The medic injected a mild sedative into the femme; it wasn't enough to stop the rapid download, but it was enough to slow it to a pace her systems could handle better. “You should be resting, not stressing yourself,” he scolded softly.

Illusory just growled something unintelligible at the mech. “It is not right,” she mumbled.

::I know it’s not,:: Scatterblade told her through a private comm. ::Get some rest.::

::I do not want rest!:: She snapped in a desperate tone. ::I want to...I have to make it better. I have to fix my mistake.:: She groaned verbally as the sedative took a firmer hold on her. “There will be justice,” she warned.

“Hey,” he warned back, “you’re in no condition do anything for that. I’ll let you know all the details as I get them. Right now you need to rest.”

The femme gave into the draw of recharge. She needed it greatly and her systems would not help her fight against it. With a final groan of everything settling, her systems went into full recharge.

Ratchet vented wearily as the femme shut down. “Finally,” he sagged slightly, as if he felt a huge weight lifted from him.

“They’re both so stubborn,” Scatterblade shook his head but was unable to keep the grin from his face.

“Maybe that will help them both make it through this.” The medic shook his head. “We still have to take care of you; we might as well get started.” He waved to another berth that lay open and prepped for the procedure. “Now that I know she is functional, I intend to keep her in light stasis until we can get her back on her feet.”

Scatterblade sighed. He had hoped he would get some rest before Ratchet demanded his audience again. However the front liner nodded and did as he was told.

“I am going to put you into stasis for this to minimize the discomfort. You will be out for about an orn.” Jolt was already quietly making himself useful in the background, silent as he had been through all of the recent exchange. It was all beyond him – he felt the same as the femme did for the most part; why did others have to be injured or worse before something was done? At the same time, he was concerned over Illusory's reaction to the human's wounds; what was she going to do?

The younger mech nodded grateful that he would finally be able to recharge.


	12. Event Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize it has been a while, but expect a rush of chapters to finish this one out. I apologize now for editing issues, but I want to get this to a completed status, so some things are likely to get missed.

 

**Event Twelve**

~

_When the body is shattered, it is the illusion of the self that carries one through the darkest of times. Some things can never be repaired._

_~_

Illusory came back online rather silently; there was still pain in her frame, but it felt distant. 'Probably the drugs,' she thought, remembering Ratchet dosing her.

Checking her chronometer she realized that a little less than an orn had passed since the medic had put her under. She groaned with frustration, her rapid download had been aborted in the middle of the process, leaving her processor fragmented and confused. She started the process of putting things back together the way they were supposed to be, trying to not trigger the rapid download again. All of the information had to do with the specific laws surrounding drinking and the operation of human vehicles. The desire for justice was still strong inside her, she had to do something to satisfy that need and to make some kind of amends for the damage she had caused to Charlie.

Pushing herself to a sitting position, she saw Scatterblade laying not too far from her, several machines hooked onto him. Alarm slammed into her spark, hard enough to drive her to her unstable and weak feet. She stumbled the short distance between them and fell against his still frame.

“Scatterblade!” She called urgently, though her voice was not very loud, weak from fear and the confusion still in her processor.

Scatterblade felt his arm twitch. He ignored it, trying hard to rip his optics, or his processor’s optics, away from the imagined scene of the car crash that had nearly taken the lives of the two femmes that had become dear to him.

“What happened?” Illusory begged, pulling at her processor for any memory that might give her an answer for the mech's current condition. She wasn't a medic – not by a long shot – she could do minor field repairs, but this looked far more complicated than that. She couldn't tell _what_ had happened, or how. “Scatterblade!” She called again, this time a little louder, dragging herself up onto the berth to sit beside the mech. Following the wires and tubes to see where they all went did nothing to ease her processor at all; they were all connected to his spark in some form or another. “Primus...”

The mech’s world shook as if someone had bumped a monitor he was watching. Still he couldn’t look away. Somewhere he could hear his name. Very faint and at first he thought it was another unwanted memory file, or maybe the echo of Illusory calling to him from the crash. He wanted it to just go away and not torment him anymore.

Looking around the med bay for anyone who could give her answers, Illusory found the place nearly abandoned. The windows that allowed natural light to filter into the building were dark, and the lights had been turned very low to give the occupants some ambiance of a restful place – but right now it only served to unnerve the femme even more.

With a whimper fit for a terrified sparkling, Illusory pressed as close to the mech as she dared without disturbing any of the machinery. “Please, you have to be okay,” she shuddered, pure dread running through her. She was tired of losing everyone she knew, she was tired of the war, of the distrust she harbored for any 'bot that even looked like they might be suspicious, tired of the secrets, tired of being afraid, tired of it all.

Sliding down to a laying position, she curled herself into a ball of fear and listened to the steady pulse of the mech's spark. He was alive. His spark sounded strong. He had to be okay, it just made sense.

Scatterblade nearly jumped in his processor’s optic at the sensation of something next him. He felt himself relaxing, the images before him fading away. It was almost peaceful.

A joor passed before anyone came to check on the patients in the med bay, but when Jolt entered, there was a very distinct sound of alarm.

The lights came roaring back to life, illuminating the entire room in harsh bright light.

Scanning the area carefully, the medic searched for the missing patient. “Illusory? Where did you go?”

Still too unnerved by everything, and consumed by her weariness, Illusory only managed a short grunt in response. She felt comfortable, safe even where she was and had no desire to disturb that fragile sense of peace.

“What the...how did you even get there?” Jolt came to look over the two 'bots, concerned for any damage the femme might have caused herself, or to Scatterblade, by dragging herself into his berth.

Scatterblade could vaguely make out a voice. A very irritated voice. He stirred, his optics flickering online.

“You're far too fragile right now to be moving around. You were supposed to be in stasis anyway...when did you come online?” Jolt kept talking at the femme – at her, because she was not responding to anything he was saying – and trying to get a good look at the weakened structure of her leg. “You could have hurt yourself more, you know? It looks like you got lucky this time.”

It took a kilk for the voice to process as the younger medic and a few kliks longer to register what he was saying. He turned his head and saw Illusory right next him. “Well hi,” he said softly and a little confused.

“Scatterblade!” The femme seemed to come to life all at once at his voice. She sat up and was leaning over him, searching his optics for answers. “What happened to you?”

Jolt, for his part, was a little stunned at the quick change in the femme's behavior. He reached for her, to hold her still and keep her from disturbing the machines hooked to the mech, or from accidentally harming herself in the process.

Scatterblade cycled air to wake up his systems. “Ratchet’s just trying to switch my spark signature back. I’m okay,” he grinned at her.

With a mix between recollection and relief, the femme vented and leaned heavily on Scatterblade. “I see. I had forgotten about that. I am relieved you are not hurt.”

“You should be resting,” Jolt lectured, though to whom he was speaking was unclear. “Come on, femme. I'll help you back to your berth.”

The black mech laughed softly. “Its okay.” He agreed with Jolt, “You should rest.”

She struggled a little as Jolt lifted her from the berth; without her armor and with some parts still missing, the femme was impossibly light. “I can walk!” She protested loudly.

“And risk damaging yourself further? I don't think so.” The young medic placed the almost hostile femme back on her berth and began searching for the sedative they had been using – he was going to have to increase the dose to be sure she stayed under this time.

“I am fine. A little damage will not deactivate me.” She offered a rather vile glare when Jolt returned with the drug. “Leave me be, I would prefer to remain online.”

“It is for your own good.”

“It is because you do not trust me.”

“That's not it at all!” Jolt looked rather put out by the idea. “We are trying to help you.”

“Then let me be! I do not want to be offline anymore.”

“Let her just lie there. She’ll get so bored she’ll beg for it later,” Scatterblade vented. He was still tired and a little uncomfortable having his spark open to the world.

Jolt clearly looked as though he disapproved, but the sheer defiance on the femme's face alerted him to just how much of a struggle he would have to deal with if he tried to follow through. “Very well,” he vented. “But you have to stay on your berth. Your leg could still buckle, causing more damage that we might not be able to repair.”

The warning hit the femme with a little more effect than the medic might have expected. She looked alarmed, and then scanned her leg as if searching for unseen damage. “I...will stay put,” she promised softly.

“Alright,” Jolt agreed, seeing that she was taking him seriously. “I will be nearby if you need something.”

“Thank you.” It felt awkward to her to offer gratitude to the medic, but he had helped her in one of her times of great need. He was still helping her, despite her clear distrust.

With a nod of acceptance, Jolt turned his attention to his other duties. He scanned Scatterblade briefly and compared the new scan with older ones and looked pleased by the results. “The process is nearly complete. I can put you back into stasis for the remainder if you would like.”

“Is it entirely necessary?” he asked out of curiosity.

“No, but it would make the discomfort easier. It's your choice.”

“I think I’ll be okay. May just fall to recharge without it,” he grinned to Jolt.

“Whatever you like, I guess.” Shaking his head a little, the medic went about his business.

Illusory refused to lay down, despite the fact that she was exhausted and that the unfinished repairs were causing her pain. She had files to straighten out, and she could see better if she was sitting up.

Scatterblade looked on at Illusory. Just watching her, how tired she looked. How beat up. It ached having to see her like that.

As her jumbled processor became clearer, Illusory decided she knew what she would do. “There will be justice,” she mumbled to herself.

Scatterblade looked at her with worry. He had to make sure that once they left here, they would go straight to Charlie and only to see Charlie. He was going to have to keep a close optic on her.

Several joors passed before Illusory seemed to come fully back to the world around her. She turned to Scatterblade, wincing at all the things attached to him. “Does...that hurt?” She asked timidly.

Scatterblade shook his head. “No, more just...strange than anything else,” he said looking down at all the cables. He had actually never seen his own spark before. It was so hard to describe; strange yet beautiful, familiar and completely foreign.

Shifting around to relieve some of her own discomfort, Illusory considered ignoring her promise to stay put. She truly wanted to stand and stretch, to move around, anything that wasn't just sitting here, but at the same moment she knew she couldn't. Her leg just wouldn't support her. “It does not look comfortable.”

“Well it’s no drive down the freeway,” he shrugged though the movement proved to his discomfort,. “Definitely not.”

“What will you do when it is done?”

“Wait for your leg to get fixed. Then take you to see Charlie.” he said.

The femme smiled. “That hardly sounds like the most thrilling endeavor.”

He smiled back. “Yeah, but there’s not much else to do. Unless the others give me a filler job or something,” he said though not too interested in that either.

“I am sure they could keep you occupied.” She picked at one of the areas where her armor had been removed to reveal the damage underneath.

“Don’t pick at it,” Scatterblade said watching her do so with mild interest.

She stopped, looking a little embarrassed. “When we go back to Logan, what do you intend to do there?”

He almost shrugged his shoulders again. “I don’t know. Whats with the twenty questions?”

“Sorry,” she vented softly. “I am a little on edge, it is kind of a habit.”

“It’s okay,” he vented softly sorry to sound so irritated. He was starting to think that maybe he should have taken the medic’s advice and gone with the sedative. But maybe now would be a good time to ask her about this 'justice' she kept mentioning. “What are you plans when you get back?” He asked causally.

A soft growl rumbled through the femme's frame. “I will establish myself within the community, and I will find a way to make up for my inattentiveness.”

The young mech vented again. “You don’t need to do that. Everything will be okay.”

“It will not,” she snapped angrily. “How can it be okay? Charlie cannot be repaired! How can I ever be okay with that?”

Scatterblade wished he could sit up and make a more intimidating argument. “The important thing is that Charlie is alive. You don’t know what all happened. I don’t know either. I don’t know how to make you believe, the kind of justice you’re talking about is not what is needed right now.”

“Then what _is_ needed?” The anger was still there, but there was a more overpowering sense of loss to her voice.

“If I knew I’d tell you,” his voice also turning angry. “If I knew I wouldn’t have these fraggin’ memory files popping up like crazy all the time,” he finished in despair.

Illusory vented, her anger fleeing her to be replaced by concern. “What memory files?”

Scatterblade bit back his angry response. “Nothing,” he mumbled.

“It cannot be nothing if it is bothering you enough to mention.”

“Forget I said anything then,” he mumbled again trying hard to keep them from replaying once more.

“Scatterblade,” she started to stand before remembering her previous attempt. “I cannot just forget, but if you do not wish to talk, I can respect that.”

He vented as he forced the images to shut down. “Thank you,” he said though barely audible.

When Jolt came back to check on the two, he sensed the discomfort in the area. “How are you two holding up?”

Illusory just grunted softly and swung her legs back up on her berth so she didn't have to look at the medic.

Scatterblade grunted in response.

“That sounds promising,” he vented sarcastically.

“How long until my leg can be repaired?” Illusory mumbled just loud enough to be heard.

“I can't be sure, we have to wait for suitable supplies to create replacements from; Earth is not very plentiful of Cybertronian quality metals. It will take some time to render the minerals acceptable.”

“That sounds very definitive,” she grumbled.

“I wish I had a better answer for you.”

“So in the meantime what do we do?” Scatterblade asked, a bored tone in his voice.

“Rest, relax, and recharge,” the medic responded almost automatically. “Once the corrective program is done with you,” he turned to Scatterblade, “you will need at least an orn of rest before you will be back to full function. At that point I am sure Ironhide will be waiting to get his hands on you for training evaluation before you return to Logan with Illusory.”

Scatterblade felt his spark jump. Ironhide. Ugh. The last thing he’d said to the mech was that he’d lost his hero rating. 'Oh joy,' he thought, 'this isn't going to be fun.'

“As for you,” he turned his optics to the femme that refused to look at him, “you need to take it easy. Just rest and give your self repair systems the opportunity to do their job until we have what we need to complete your repairs.”

“Just...sit here...” she sounded very unenthusiastic about the idea. “I have had enough of sitting.”

Jolt vented. “I will see what can be done about that, but you really do need to rest. You've just been in a severe accident, you need to recover.”

Illusory made a sound that revealed just how displeased she was with her current situation. She had been taken out by a human – sub standard – vehicle. “Thank you for reminding me,” she grumbled.

“You only had civilian class armor, you got very lucky.”

The femme finally looked at the medic, but it was with a very dark expression. “Lucky?”

“Yes,” Jolt didn't back down under the femme's glare; he had seen far worse from friendlier 'bots. “You were lucky. That car could have offlined you.”

A look of offended disbelief came over her. “I am not so easily destroyed!”

The medic vented roughly. Just what he needed, a femme with a need to defend herself. “I didn't say that.”

“You implied it!”

“I stated fact. With the armor you had, there was a good chance of it. The way you were leaking when we found you...”

Illusory felt the need to prove the medic wrong. “I would have been fine!”

Scatterblade thought about turning down the volume to his audios in hopes of getting rid of the arguing. Seeing that this wasn’t a realistic idea he turned to Illusory. “Yelling isn’t going to make you’re situation any better,” he said trying hard to keep himself from sounding angry.

“I...” she realized that Scatterblade was right, but that didn't mean she felt less need to keep going.

“You are upset,” Jolt attempted to soothe. “You need to rest, Scatterblade needs to rest.” The medic checked them both one more time before moving away again.

Illusory vented with her mounting frustrations. “Fantastic.” She slumped over on the berth feeling both exhausted and defeated.

The younger mech vented shaking his head slightly at the femme’s persistence. Staring back up at the ceiling briefly, he shut off his optics.

Another joor passed before Ratchet came to remove the machines connected to Scatterblade. “The reprogram is complete, but you'll need to take it easy for a while. You're free to return to your quarters.”

Scatterblade stood and stretched. “Thanks, again,” he said glad to be getting away from the med bay for a while. Before he left he glanced back at Illusory.

Illusory had given into the exhaustion consuming her, and the demands of her self repair systems that she spend a few joors offline, in full recharge.

“She'll be fine,” Ratchet assured the mech, “go on.”

He nodded taking his leave, thankful that Ratchet seemed so confident. It was easier, somehow, to believe that things would be okay when Ratchet said so.

Scatterblade went back to his quarters, not really feeling up to talking to anyone at the moment, and wanting some measure of solitude. However, when he got there he only sat on his berth for a klick before he stood right back up. He was tired of laying down, he needed to do something – _anything –_ so he decided to work out the kinks in his systems through a series of stretches.

He probably looked ridiculous, at least he assumed he did, but he felt better for the activity and that made it worth whatever he might look like. After he felt he had stretched all he could he rested against the wall, then slid to the floor. He still felt drained, even after all the recharge he had been getting and the rest he had been forced to take. If only he could truly relax for just a few joors, Scatterblade was sure he would feel better.

The mech wasn't left to himself for much longer as a heavy tapping interrupted his silence.

“Hey, Scatterblade!” A mech beyond the door called. “Come out here!” The voice wasn't angry or demanding, but it did sound a little mischievous.

He didn’t recognize the voice off hand, and at first he thought he would just ignore it. Surely whoever it was would think he was recharging and go away...but he was itching to get out and do something. So, with great caution he opened the door to see what trouble lurked beyond.

Sideswipe stood there with a grin on his face. “Lets go blow off some steam.” He grabbed the mech by the arm and hauled him out of his quarters. His twin was standing not too far away, still looking generally unimpressed with the world, but there was a glimmer to his optics.

“Uh,” Scatterblade laughed nervously as the silver mech dragged him along. “What’s going on?”

“We got the shift off, thought you'd like to get out and stretch a bit,” Sideswipe informed him as the two lead the newest front-liner to join their team away from the base as a whole.

Scatterblade grinned at the thought. Hadn't he just been thinking that was what he needed? “I’d love to. Seriously, now I'm pretty sure I know why you guys hate the med bay.”

“Yeah, not the best place to hang out,” Sideswipe agreed.

Sunstreaker stopped and looked around. “This looks good enough.”

Sideswipe nodded and turned his optics to Scatterblade. “Ready?”

The third front-liner raised his optic ridge with suspicion. “For what?”

“Well, you see, we may – or may not – have instigated something or another that will most likely result in our prized Autobot weapons specialist loosing his cool.” Sideswipe explained, the mischievous look intensifying.

Scatterblade's smile dropped instantly. Great, he was about to be connected with something that would make Ironhide even less impressed with him. He shook his head before laughing again, a bit grimly. "Might as well piss him off more before I apologize."

“Yeah, going to apologize might not be the best idea at this point. Trust me, he'll be fine after he blows up some stuff...”

At that point there was a rather large roar coming from the base, followed by the very distinct sound of a plasma cannon firing.

“Run,” Sunstreaker shouted as he transformed and tore away through the open desert.

Sideswipe gave a loud woop as he followed suit. “Don't stay in one spot too long, buddy!” He warned.

Scatterblade turned tail and hit the ground hard in his alt mode, tearing off after the two troublemakers. He was so lost in the thrill of it all – dodging the blasts and kicking up clouds of dirt and dust to hide his escape route – that he forgot about his overstressed frame and about all the things plaguing his processor.

Ironhide's anger raged on for nearly two full joors before he finally calmed enough to quit shooting. When he finally left the running front-liners to cool their engines, Sideswipe came to a rest back in his 'bot mode, venting heavily and looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Sunstreaker came rolling up beside him, transforming once he got there.

“That was a good run.”

“Yeah!” Sideswipe agreed.

Scatterblade rolled to a stop behind them and transformed to his bipedal mode. “Holy Pit, that was fun,” he cheered, taking a few steps before collapsing to the ground beside Sideswipe. "Do I even wanna know how that happened?"

“Oh, it might be safer if you don't...” Sideswipe laughed, “but lets just say that Ironhide takes polishing his weapons very seriously...and when you replace his weapons polish with something not quite so friendly to paint, he gets a little miffed.”

Scatterblade burst out laughing. “I take it you do this a lot? Otherwise he wouldn’t have singled you out?”

“'A lot' doesn't even begin to cover it,” Sunstreaker mused happily.

“It's not always us,” Sideswipe protested.

Scatterblade laughed even more at Sideswipe's defensive reply. He hadn’t had this good a time with other 'bots since... He quickly shut that train of thought down. 'Just enjoy right now,' he told himself. 'You’ll be fine.' “So how do you guys like it here? On earth I mean.”

“It's alright,” Sideswipe shrugged as he looked around. “There's plenty of open places in this particular area, and a lot of other areas on this planet have mostly unpopulated areas we can lounge about in.”

“The roads are fun,” Sunstreaker added. “And the humans have some underground races that are actually a little challenging.”

“Not Cybertron though,” Sideswipe huffed a little wistfully.

“No, definitely not Cybertron,” his twin agreed.

Scatterblade nodded. He liked this planet, for what it had, but it would never be Cybertron. “I like all the green is has,” he said with a positive flair. “Well, minus here I guess.”

“It does have a certain beauty about it,” Sunstreaker nodded.

“The humans can be fun too,” Sideswipe teased, his twin looking far less convinced of the statement.

“They can be...useful,” the golden twin gave with great hesitance.

Scatterblade raised a ridge at them, “How so?” he asked keeping his processor open.

Sideswipe nudged his brother a little. “Eh, the soldiers here are pretty good guys. Sunny just can't get over their organic-ness.”

“They're disgusting,” the golden mech sneered.

“They're good in a fight. Tiny little things are brilliant!”

Scatterblade frowned at the golden front-liner's comment but left it at that. Everyone was entitled to their own opinions. Sideswipe's opinion, however was more along his own feelings of the small Earth creatures. “That's good to hear.”

“Well,” the silver mech got to his feet, “it's probably safe to head back. No ones screaming over the general com anymore.”

Scatterblade followed suit, stretching and cycling some more air through his vents before folding down into his alt mode and driving off toward base with the twins.

Back at the base, the front-liner twins headed straight for their energon rations. It seemed they were either in great need, or rather assured that once word spread they had returned, there wouldn't be time for it.

“So,” Sideswipe asked as he handed over a cube of the precious liquid to Scatterblade, “tell us about yourself.”

Scatterblade took the cube but hesitated. He didn’t know where to start or if he would be asked to recount some of his more recent experiences; which he sorely did not want to relive, let alone retell, so to be safe, he shrugged and returned the question. “What about me?”

“Where'd you come from? What brings you here? How'd you get to be a front-liner? That kind of stuff,” the silver mech expanded, signaling that they should sit at an empty table while they talked.

Scatterblade told them his story, starting when he joined up with the Autobots and quickly found out he really had to buckle down and not be such a goofball if he wanted to become anything within the ranks. He spoke about his friend Speedrunner without the files he dreaded so much coming up when he was talking about training and a lot of their adventures together.

Speedrunner had been a rather moody mech, yet he had befriended him almost too quickly when they met. Everyone else had been beside themselves with confusion at the development, but both mechs had learned to ignore them. They were an unusual pair, for sure, with Scatterblade being more carefree and easy going while Speedrunner was such a downright pessimist. Brooding for days over some of the tiniest things; yet big things would go completely unnoticed by the picky mech. There had been more than once that he wouldn’t even seem to care that his paint was scratched or that pieces of his armor were missing after a scrap, but let someone say the wrong thing to him and he was sulking somewhere alone in no time.

Scatterblade was so caught up in telling his stories that he hadn't even realized he was reaching the point in his tales where the ambush occurred. The words had even been forming in his processor to start that story too. He grew silent staring at the ground for a moment as he contemplated how easy it was to talk to the front-liner twins, wondering if maybe this was what they meant by talking could heal. Was this healing?

As his processor started cycling towards the locked away memories, he decided that it wasn't. This was him leading himself into a miserable trap. “That’s about all of it,” he said after a few moments.

The twins had listened intently, only asking a few questions here and there as Scatterblade spoke so fondly of his partner and their journeys and once he was done, it was Sunstreaker that spoke up first. “Lost him, didn't you?”

“Yeah,” Scatterblade admitted quietly. “He’d smack me silly if he knew I was moping though,” he smiled, trying to wipe the grief from his frame.

“Then less moping, more fun,” Sideswipe clipped the black mech on the shoulder. “Lets go get some practice shots in before Ironhide comes looking for us again.”

Scatterblade grinned thankful for the distraction. He was thankful that the twins seemed so understanding. It had been nice though, to speak of Speedrunner like that again.

The front-liner twins kept the mech rather busy for the rest of the day, until they had to go to their shifts, leaving the mech to himself several joors after dark.

Scatterblade grinned to himself as he sat near the bunkers in his alt mode, relaxing after the busy day. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were a different experience all together. They were fun – trouble for sure – but still fun, and exactly what he needed to bring his spirits back around.

Deciding that he needed to occupy himself for a while, he found a spot away from the main area of the base that wasn’t likely to be traveled, but wasn't far away in case he was needed and pulled out his energon blades.

It felt like it had been far too long since he had been able to work out as he used to do on such a regular basis. With his capture, then running, then Illusory... With a deep intake and a slow venting he started his exercise as he always did, holding his blades before him and focusing on them. Clearing his processor he began slow, remembering the steps until he felt the rhythm coming over him once more and he moved out of habit, flowing with every motion into the next until he was moving at such a speed anyone watching might think he was truly fighting an unseen enemy. He lunged, ducked and doubled back with such ease that his frame could have been liquid; blades spun and slashed the air in a stunning display of control and practiced moves.

He remembered spending joors sparing with other mechs who thought themselves better than him. They would taunt and tease him when he stepped to the sparring circle, yet he was almost always the one still standing within once the match was over. He never really understood how he learned so quickly, but he had excelled at combat training. When the others were clumsy and hot tempered, he was in complete control of himself. Somehow, all of it just came more naturally to him.

The mech's routine garnered some attention, many mechs stopped to watch for a few breems, happy to see the skills of their newest team member. One mech, however, kept watching from beginning to end, evaluating every offense and defense until he was satisfied with his study of this particular mech's abilities.

“You've got skills,” Ironhide grumbled instead of a proper greeting.

Scatterblade paused his blades and turned to see who had spoken. He was venting heavily from his excretion. “Thank you,” he said nodding his head toward the older mech to show his respect.

“I'm supposed to evaluate your skills before you leave for Logan,” he informed the younger mech.

“Okay,” Scatterblade looked around, expecting to see some thing to indicate what he was supposed to do next. “How?”

“Well, now that I have seen your training style, we'll spar.”

Scatterblade started chucking, then stopped abruptly as he realized that the weapons specialist didn't seem to be joking with him. “Really?” He asked, all too eager.

Ironhide smiled a little, maybe enjoying the younger mech's eagerness, maybe thinking of the actual sparing match, it was hard to tell. Either way, he was amused. “Yes.”

The younger mech took a step back and raised his swords. “Ready when you are,” he smirked, zeal flashing in his optics. How often had he dreamed of such a day? It didn't matter to him if he won or lost, he was getting the opportunity to fulfill something that had seemed so impossible to him for so long.

His smile breaking into a full grin, Ironhide stepped in without another word. He knocked one sword aside and swung for the younger mech's face.

Scatterblade ducked under the blow using the momentum from the sword knocked away to swing backward and hit the old mech in the back with the broad side of the sword.

Ironhide took the harmless blow, bringing his elbow back to connect with the shoulder of the assaulting arm.

The younger mech took the blow and used it to fuel another spin. It had hurt him a little bit more than he would have liked but he shrugged it off raising both swords once more. After all, one didn't spar with a legend and walk away clean.

Moving in again, the mech didn't give the younger warrior a chance to recover himself, forcing him to make split second decisions and improvising mid motion.

The action caught the attention of everyone that came close, and soon the two sparring mechs found themselves completely surrounded by spectators of both Cybertronian and human variety. They started calling out their enthusiasm for the intensity of the fight, cheers for both fighters ringing off the surrounding buildings.

Scatterblade kept up with the older warrior pretty well, mostly evading and making blunt attacks when he could. He wasn’t aiming to hurt, though Ironhide had made it clear he didn’t mind bruising the younger mech a little.

The fight went on for what most might have considered an unusual length of time, especially considering the way Ironhide usually took down young mechs that thought themselves to be skilled in close combat.

Ironhide got slightly more aggressive, moving in close and grabbing Scatterblade's chest plates before slamming him to the ground. It wasn't hard enough to brake anything, but certainly enough to jar the younger mech.

Scatterblade wasn’t entirely caught off guard by the action, but he knew he was done for at this point. Had they been on the battlefield, and were they enemies, he knew that he would never have felt the ground beneath him; he would have been done. He almost wished that were his fate at the moment as pain rocketed through his frame. It took a few kliks to recover. “That mean I’m dead?” he asked with a labored laugh.

Ironhide's rolling laughter made it clear to all watching that the show was over. “Had it been a real fight, yeah, you would be slag by now, but you're not half bad.”

“You have no idea what that means coming from you.”

Ironhide offered a hand to the younger mech, making sure he was stable on his feet. He didn't say anything, just smiled at the compliment.

A few others came to offer compliments for the younger mech's skills before the crowed dispersed completely.

“Good round. I expect to do it again,” Ironhide said as he too left to get back to his other duties.

“Ironhide,” Scatterblade called after the older mech. He looked down at the ground then up to him again, “I’m sorry for what I said a few days back. I was just upset. I didn’t mean it.”

The older mech rumbled some undefinable sound. “Don't worry about it. I don't tend to be very trusting of anyone, but you were right about that one. She seems...nice...” He offered somewhat reluctantly.

The younger mech smiled. “That’s enough for me.”

. . .

Nearly two orns passed before the supplies for Illusory's repairs were delivered, and it would still be another before Ratchet had them sufficiently mixed into a substance he deemed adequate enough to use.

Illusory was not handling the restrictions well at all, and several times had dragged herself out of the med bay, using whatever she had found for support. It had been Wheeljack to take pity on the femme and create something like a crutch for her to use – much to all the medics' dismay – and she was able to hobble around a short distance. Though, after a very brief time, even that was not enough. She was always looking out at the horizon, as if she could see what she was looking for if she could just get a little further out.

Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and even Dino had taken to harassing Scatterblade at every turn; dragging him with them on their rounds, or sparring, or running for their lives, whatever it was they happened to be doing when they found the mech. They treated being a 'front-liner' as a club; no one else really understood them or how they functioned but each other, and that's just the way they liked it.

Ironhide had his turns with the young warrior. He trained with him, pushed him to the limits of his abilities and then pushed him further, challenging him to get better at every turn. He often lectured the younger mech about hanging out with the likes of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker – they were fantastic warriors, he wouldn't argue – but they were trouble, and of the kind that was best left alone.

The humans came to bug Scatterblade when they could, trying to get to know the newest member of their Autobot team mates, and most found the mech fun and entertaining.

Many humans also wandered into the vicinity of the strange femme that refused to join them, but had taken contract with them, and found her to be very kind. They didn't understand some of the 'bots' hesitation around her. She certainly didn't seem dangerous, or conniving, or anything like that. She was soft spoken, curious, and almost out-of-her-way nice to them.

Scatterblade had enjoyed his time with the other front-liners. He didn’t really take to spark much of what Ironhide said only because he had never actually done anything...well, nothing too horrible at least. He was enjoying the attention from the others on base immensely. The men and women in N.E.S.T. were phenomenal and he took to them rather easily. It felt good to be part of a team again. Especially one as large as N.E.S.T.

It was rare that the mech was ever alone, and he enjoyed those times...for a very brief moment, then he was off to find someone else to keep company with. It was just easier not to think when he was with others.

Which was what he was doing now. He wanted to check in on Illusory to see how she was holding up. He knew she had to be going insane with the restrictions held on her because of her leg, but there was nothing he could do to change that. Still, he enjoyed spending time with her anyway.

The femme was sitting on the edge of the base again, the furthest she had been able to make it with her injuries and the make-shift crutch. She stared off to the horizon, not really seeing anything. Not too far away another mech sat watching her, though not with very strict attention; most likely the 'bot assigned to keep an optic on her while she stubbornly ignored Ratchet's instructions to take it easy.

Scatterblade spotted the two distant figures and vented softly. Walking up to the closest one he waved to where the femme was sitting. “How long she been out here this time?”

“Since before the sun came up,” the mech shrugged. The sun was now well on it's way back to the horizon. “She hasn't moved at all, hasn't said anything, just sat there. I don't see why Ratchet's so worried she'll do something; she doesn't do _anything_...” the mech rambled a little before venting. “I guess I shouldn't complain. It's not the worst job on base.”

Scatterblade chuckled a little, understanding the mech's sentiment. “She's used to moving around a lot. Maybe it’s just nice to sit still for while,” he shrugged. It was just a guess, though he hoped it was close to true and hoped that she wasn’t plotting to do anything drastic.

“Maybe.” The mech agreed. “I'm supposed to make sure she gets back to the med bay before it gets dark, but I really hate to disturb her.”  
“I was gonna go talk to her anyway. I can make sure she gets back,” the black mech suggested.

“Really? That would be great! Not that she's mean really or anything, she just tends to be a little short tempered with the rest of us, and I really don't like it when she gets like that to me – it's almost scary, but I always try to be nice. Not that I blame her for it or anything, I'm sure her life hasn't been easy, but then who's has, really? But that's not to say that she's out of line or anything, just that I don't like it, so if you're going to go talk to her anyway, then I'll just leave you to it since she seems to like you a lot better than anyone else anyway.” With that the mech got to his feet, shook Scatterblade's hand thankfully, and left for other parts of the base.

Scatterblade waved goodbye and looked back toward to Illusory. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought crossing the short distance to where she sat. “Hey, Lu.”

Illusory looked over her shoulder at the mech coming up behind her. “Hello, Scatterblade,” she greeted quietly. “What brings you out here?”

“I wanted to see you,” he said happily. “How you were doing, I mean,” he amended quickly. “Why are you out here?” He asked causally looking around to see if there was anything of interest; which there was not.

“I do not feel so trapped out here,” she explained emptily.

He sat beside her and looked at her blank stare. “I wish I could fix that,” he mumbled.

Illusory vented. “It will not be much longer,” she stated as if she had rehearsed it a thousand times, yet still did not believe it. “I just cannot stop thinking about Charlie.”

He nodded. “Me too.” He chuckled softly as he thought of the little human. “I can't believe how calmly she took it. She might have been acting but I don’t think so. She’s tough for a human. I’m eager to see how she’s doing too.”

“I suppose I should be happy she will learn to adapt...” there was no conviction to her voice. “It is just too difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that she cannot be repaired. It just does not seem natural.”

“I know what you mean. I didn’t believe it at first either.” He was silent for a moment. “Look, you don’t need to get over it right now. It’ll take time for both of your to heal. It just barely happened. I expect you to be mad, to be furious...but anger isn’t gonna help. Anger won’t change anything,” he said softly but firmly.

Illusory laughed, but it wasn't a humorous sound. It was more of a fearful, sorrowful whimper. “I, of all the 'bots here, should know that. If anger could change things...” She vented again. “I am sorry, I should not be complaining.”

Scatterblade chuckled weakly. “I expected to hear that kind of stuff from you. You have every right to complain. This hopelessness you’ve got yourself stuck on, it’s not gonna help either.” He paused. “Maybe I’m talking too much.”

“Maybe,” the femme agreed, “but I much prefer the company to the silence.”

He smiled. “I’m glad I had time to come get you. The guys have been keeping me really busy.”

“I am glad you have been so welcomed back into the ranks.” She was honestly pleased for the mech; even if she didn't like either faction, she could find it in her spark to be happy for him.

“I even made up with Ironhide,” he said probably too excitedly but he didn’t care.

“That is good.” Illusory knew the reputation of the large weapons specialist, and she also knew that being on his 'good' side was a very beneficial thing for any 'bot. “He has not created a crater in the shape of your frame, then?”

Scatterblade laughed hard this time. “Now that you mention it; I never did check to see if it looked like me.

“We’ve been sparing. Part of it was for training to make sure I’m still good, but I think he actually enjoys it.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” She smiled. “I never saw the attraction to beating the slag out of one another. Friendly or not.”

“It’s more for showing off and practice really,” he grinned, both reasons were nothing but excuses. In truth, he loved it. Even when he was getting his aft thoroughly handed to him, he enjoyed sparring just to be sparring.

“Hn,” she grunted. “That seems about right. “It is good to know that you are enjoying yourself.”

“Enjoying, yes,” he agreed. “Useful? Not so much.”

“I am sure that will change in time.”

“Yeah,” he said elbowing her gently, “when you’re up and about.”

Again the femme vented. “Ratchet says it will be another orn before he is ready to complete my repairs,” there was a soft growl to her voice; not of anger, but of impatience. “I understand the medic takes his duty seriously, but I am not a warrior class femme – I do not require perfect metals. I wish he would just hurry up and be done with me.”

“It’ll be okay. What’s an orn when we’ll be up in Logan for how ever long we want? It isn’t gonna kill ya.”

Illusory groaned and flopped onto her back gracelessly. “It may not kill me, but it very well might drive me to the brink of what remains of my sanity.”

Scatterblade laughed. “Think you can sleep it off? Just one more orn. I could stay with ya. Keep ya busy.”

“You think the others will leave you alone long enough for that?” She smiled. Even she had heard of the way the other front-liners had taken to the mech.

“As long as I look insanely happy while I walk in with ya,” he joked laughing once more.

“I hope I can help you with that,” she teased back.

He grinned at her. “You always do.”

Illusory smiled eagerly, happy to hear the words.

“We should get back before they send a search party,” he said offhandedly.

The femme groaned miserably. “Just a little while longer? I do not want to go back just yet, I like to see the stars.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “okay.” On a private com he contacted Ratchet. ::Gonna be a little late. I’ve got Illusory, she’s fine and not doing anything strenuous. She wants to see the stars.::

::Very well,:: the medic didn't sound happy. ::As long as you keep an optic on her. If anything happens, I am holding you accountable, Scatterblade.::

Illusory stretched as much as she could without straining her healing wounds. “This planet has an interesting view of the stars.”

“You got that right,” he nodding looking up at the just darkened sky. “Wonder if they could’ve seen Cybertron,” he mused.

“Ah bet they could've,” the femme said, lifting one hand to point at a small dark point in the sky. “Back in th' glory days, before it went dark.”

“Hmm,” he grunted in agreement. “I don’t miss being up there. Too cold,” he said simply.

“Lonely,” Illusory agreed.

Scatterblade nodded, pushing back the files that had tried to creep up again.

Illusory lost herself in the stars above them, enjoying the heat coming up off the earth beneath her, but shivered as the cooler air blew over her bare frame.

The mech couldn't stop himself from turning his gaze to the femme. She looked...content and that made him happy. He was glad she was doing okay. At least in this quiet moment.

It was some time before their silence was interrupted; or at least Scatterblade's was. ::Where are you? It's been long enough,:: Ratchet's voice came over a private com, heavy with irritation.

Scatterblade vented before answering. ::On our way back.:: “We’re being summoned,” he informed the femme, rolling his eyes. Standing, he offered his hand to help her to her feet.

Illusory took the offered hand, struggling a little to get herself properly supported and grabbing her crutch. “I might have known it was too good to last long.”

“Come on,” he said supporting her side without the crutch, “try to be positive.”

“Positive,” she vented. “Right.”

Getting back to the med bay was slow, but without incident, as the femme had become more practiced with her awkward crutch and balance.

Ratchet was of course waiting for them when they got there, mild disapproval on his face.

“I am just fine,” Illusory stated as a precursor to walking through the door.

“Hm,” the medic grunted. “You are still recovering, that doesn't count as fine.”

Illusory mumbled something incomprehensible as she made her way back to her berth followed closely by the medic, scanning to be sure she really hadn't overtaxed herself.

Scatterblade waited by the door watching to make sure she made it back alright.

The femme got back on her berth with some help from Ratchet – of which she looked less pleased with than she could have been – and settled herself. “Thank you,” she grumbled to the medic, and then turned to Scatterblade, “and thank you for keeping me company.”

“I was happy to,” he assured her with a smile. “Any objection to me staying till she falls to recharge?”

Ratchet turned to the mech, a rather secretive smile on his face, but his voice remained stern. “So long as you do not keep her from it, and you don't get in the way of anything, I don't mind.”

Scatterblade was intrigued by the smirk but dismissed it. He nodded and quickly dragged a chair next to the femme's berth and made himself comfortable. “I promise.”

With a nod, the CMO left the room to the two 'bots; his office calling with unfinished work.

Illusory waited until the mech was gone before she huffed almost rudely. “Mech acts like he is my creator!” She grumbled.

“I kinda picked up on that,” Scatterblade laughed. “He really does want you to heal,” he added sincerely.

“I am a full grown femme, I can take responsibility for myself.”

Scatterblade vented. “Is it so hard to just have faith in others? Ask for help and be willing to take help given to ya?”

The femme gave the front-liner a rather grave look. “Yes,” she stated seriously.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Sorry.”

“No,” Illusory shook her head, trying to be rid of the severeness she felt. “Do not be sorry, you are right. I should learn to appreciate the help that is given to me...it is simply that I cannot help but to feel that there is always some price to pay – something...something I will have to sacrifice for it. That is the way it has always been for me...until you came along, that is. You have been the first to just simply be kind to me without expectation of something in return, and it is hard to get used to.”

“What can I say?” he shrugged putting his hands behind his head, “I’m low maintenance.”

“If there were more mechs like you, maybe things would not have turned so poorly for us as a whole.” Her systems rattled wearily as she tried to think of their world not being consumed by war. “It must have been some twist of fate to bring you to me; I am actually starting to think that Autobots are not as bad as I thought. Not that I am about to join up,” she corrected quickly.

“Nah,” he swiped a hand in the air as if to dislodge the comment, “that would take a miracle.” He smiled. He knew what she was getting at. “I know it’s hard., and I’m glad you trust me as much as you do. One step at a time I guess.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, “you're probably right.” She rolled onto her side, feeling restless despite her weariness. “You know, I used to want to be an Autobot when I was very young – very, very young.” A haziness crossed her optics as she thought back. “If things had gone differently, I would have been.”

Scatterblade couldn't stop a soft intake as hope shot through him. He couldn’t change the past but the future still held opportunity.

“Try to recharge. Clear processor helps out a lot.”

“I...do not think I can.” No matter how weary she felt, her processor kept reminding her where she was and that had her on edge.

“Well,” the mech scrambled for some solution to the femme's problem. “Let's talk, like we did back in Logan.”

Illusory smiled with appreciation, tension starting to drain from her frame.

The two talked for several breems, at first the femme was a very active participant in the conversation but as the exhaustion took over, she started listening more than speaking, until eventually she slipped into recharge.

The femme's body slumped into complete relaxation and her systems fell into a steady thrum.

Scatterblade chuckled to himself as he watched her fade into recharge. “That took less time than expected.” Standing and stretching a bit, he made his way back to his bunker. He was feeling the effects of the past few days weighing on him pretty heavily. Recharge was calling to him as well. Once he was back in his quarters he hardly made it to his berth before falling into recharge.

 

 


	13. Event Thirteen

**Event Thirteen**

**~**

_ The mind can create wonderful, horrible illusions that can lead us to do things that are beyond our nature. Sometimes, the mind can shatter the confines that keep us from doing wonderful things. The mind is a powerful thing. _

**~**

The new day came soon enough, too soon for some. Illusory was already crawling about the base before Ratchet had even realized she had come online. It was Sideswipe who came upon the limping femme first.

“Hey, you're not supposed to be running around by yourself,” the mech blocked her path, a look of scorn on his face. “What do you think your doing?”

Illusory vented as if she expected to face yet another condescending lecture from another Autobot. “Apparently looking for trouble,” she grumbled.

“Well then,” Sideswipe's expression instantly shifted to that of pure mischief, “I think you've come to the right place.”

 

Scatterblade woke from recharge rather early but didn’t leave right away. He still felt tired, and couldn't help but wonder if it was his pretender still leeching off of him to make up for the energy spent chasing down Illusory and Charlie. Even if it was, he didn't regret the over extension one bit. He'd do it again, he'd do more if he had to for them.

“Don't yell at me, boss!” One of the humans shouted as he and several others rushed past. “I don't even speak...what was it again?”

“Chinook, according to the linguist.” Another human shouted as they continued.

“How in the world did the computers get switched to that? Is there even a setting for that?”

“No”

Their voices faded as they rushed to wherever they were going, several other humans following in their wake.

Scatterblade stuck his head out of his room and raised an optic ridge. “Oookay,” he chuckled wondering what the pit that was about.

There was more shouting, erupting form all corners of the base and announcing that all of their systems had been rewritten into yet another dead language. Everything was confusion and panic, trying to decide if they had been hacked or if something had gone seriously wrong in their data transfers from the other nations.

The mech left his room and tried not to chuckle at the humans’ disjointedness as he tried to figure out for himself just what might be going on. He glanced up and not too far away saw Illusory atop one of the sturdier human structures watching the chaos all around with a look mixed of disbelief and amusement. He cocked his head at her making optic contact. ::Why do I have the feeling you know what’s going on?:: he sent over a private com.

::I have no idea what would ever give you that impression,:: she stated with a heavily amused voice as she met the mech's optics. ::I am simply a bystander in all of this...chaos.::

::So was I last time the twins were up to something,:: he smirked, remembering the event. ::Didn’t mean I didn’t get mistaken for the culprit.::

Illusory laughed, it was a pleasantly cheerful sound, void of all the darker thoughts that had plagued her processor. ::Who would ever suspect me?:: Her tone made it clear she knew who might suspect her, but that she wasn't concerned. ::It is harmless enough, just a linguistic subroutine.::

::That most of these humans know nothing about from the looks of it,:: he laughed.

::I never indicated that it was _their_ subroutine.::

Scatterblade laughed out loud. He shouldn’t be laughing, he knew it. This was trouble of the utmost type. It would take the humans forever to get it fixed, but he couldn't help himself. He hadn't seen this side of Illusory, and quite honestly, he liked it. He calmed his laughter and shook his head at her as if scolding her, though the effect was lost behind his grin.

::If it makes you feel any better; it was not my idea. Trouble planned it, I simply provided the information.::

::And you said you were a bystander.:: He vented to stop himself from laughing. ::So what other havoc will you reek today?:: He asked playfully as he watched the humans continue to scramble about trying to make heads or tails of their current situation. It really was wrong to enjoy this.

::Oh, who knows? It is early yet, and I believe that I will remain mostly free of reprimand for the time being. So long as I avoid direct contact with the resident Chief Medical Officer, I can remain 'at large', as it were.::

::Don’t get into too much trouble, okay?:: He mocked patronizingly. ::I'd really hate to see you get grounded.::

::I will do my best,:: the femme promised. ::Though, currently, I do not suppose I will be up to much. What is it that you will be doing this...interesting day?::

He was about to answer but paused. A wave of dizziness came over him for a brief moment, then went away. That was odd. ::Not sure yet,:: he said, keeping his sudden confusion from his voice. There was no need to alarm the femme. ::Still don’t have a specific assignment right now. I feel kinda useless to tell you the truth.::

Around them, the humans began to vanish as they all set to doing what they had to do to correct the subroutine. The base became quiet.

Scatterblade looked around and smiled at the quiet. He had not had a quiet moment in a long time, his life seemed always full of noise and trouble. ::Maybe I’ll go driving for a little bit. Stretch my legs,:: he said with a bit of longing.

::That would be good for you,:: the femme encouraged. ::Be careful.::

He grinned, turning her direction. ::Now who’s being the worry 'bot?:: He mocked accusingly.

::I can hardly help but to worry over the few companions I have,:: she smiled, but it didn't reach her voice. ::I am sure you will be just fine.::

::Yes, I will be,:: he agreed, transforming to his alt mode. ::Talk to you later?::

::Of course! You know where to reach me.::

The mech revved his engine and took off. His holoform appeared out of habit and he completely ignored which direction he was going. He didn’t care so long as he was driving. It felt like flying when he got to drive fast. He’d never had much care for actual flying, though. It was much better to keep all four tires on the asphalt. Well, a little air time wasn't bad, but the basic idea was the same. Close to the ground was best.

The scenery her lacked and it made him miss Logan. His thoughts turned to Charlie. Maybe she was up on her feet again? Was she trying to figure out life with her...impairment? He vented sadly, hoping she was doing alright. He wanted to check on her, badly, but he wasn't sure how. It's not like he could just take off and go see her, and last he had checked, her phone wasn't in her possession.

'Jazz and Prowl are watching after her,' he assured himself. 'Jazz would tell me if there was anything I needed to know.'

With that thought in mind, he sped off again, pouring out as much speed as he could muster and just lost himself in the sensation of freedom.

 

Illusory continued to watch the frustrations around the base rise as the 'bots tried to help their human comrades with their current problem. The Cybertronians were having just as difficult a time with the programming, but their involvement in the repairs did turn up one thing.

::It's a Cybertronian program,:: Wheeljack announced with surprise over an open com. ::Who would do this? It doesn't look Decepticon...too passive...::

::A 'bot did this?:: Ironhide's deep voice rumbled over the com, suspicion edging in his tone. ::One of ours?::

::I can't really tell. The programming is passive enough to be anyone, really; there's not any signature pattern I recognize.::

There was silence for a while before Ironhide's voice came back over the com. ::The humans have a point; do we not have a contract with an 'information specialist'?:: He said the title with obvious distaste for it. It was clear that he wasn't prepared to accept the new label just yet. ::Why don't we bring Illusory in on this, I bet she could tell us who was the culprit.::

The femme stiffened at the mention of her name. Was Ironhide trying to indicate that she was the one to plant the subroutine?

::Illusory is on medical leave, Ironhide,:: Ratchet scolded. ::You will leave her out of this.::

Scatterblade sighed in frustration at the very open conversation. Even as far away as he was, it was like he was sitting in the middle of it all. He had known she was going to get in trouble, though the blame wasn't unwarranted. The femme had admitted to her involvement.

He had half a processor to just turn it off and continue his joyride, ignoring the petty arguments that were sure to erupt soon. What could he do about it anyway, other than point the blame directly at Illusory? He turned down his inner com and decided to let the others figure it out.

::It was just a suggestion,:: the weapons specialist grumbled. ::This is ridiculous. Everything has been put on hold because of this; what if something happens?::

Illusory squirmed with guilt. What if something _did_ happen? The humans could be completely blindsided by an attack because they couldn't read their computers; and with everyone so distracted by trying to fix the problem, they would make prime targets. Sure, those that had no hands in the informational sections of the base were enjoying the lax day with nothing to do – but would they be so happy if a Decepticon dropped in on them?

::I will assist you,:: Illusory offered, daring to communicate via the general com. for the first time.

The com. fell silent; not even the buzz of general activity filling it.

::You will?:: Ironhide asked, completely thrown by the offer.

::Is that not a part of my contract?::

::Of course it is,:: the older mech was still astonished, but he was quickly recovering himself.

::Then I will assist you, as a part of my duties to the contract.:: The femme began the process of climbing off of the building she had been seated on. ::You will have to forgive me, I will be a few breems in getting to your location.::

::What does the phrase 'medical leave' mean to any of you?:: Ratchet growled over the com.

::Medical leave only applies to officers and soldiers, Ratchet;  _not_ to contracted Neutrals. I will choose when I can, and when I cannot work.:: Illusory's tone was only slightly challenging, mostly it was a simple fact that she had a job to do and she was going to do it. She wasn't going to include the part where she was part of the reason for this situation in the first place, nor was she going to admit to the guilt she was feeling for the aftermath of her actions. ::I appreciate your concern,:: she offered as a side note to the medic.

Illusory entered the central hub of operations nervously, standing in the door longer than she should have debating whether or not she was going to turn and run away or go in and do as she came to do. All of this business about working so closely with the Autobots was circuit wrenching and it would take some time to get used to.

“Please come in,” an odd mech at the controls waved the femme over, unusual fins on the sides of his head flashing with his words. She had been curious the first time she had seen Wheeljack why he had such a strange augmentation, but she was hardly one to ask about unusual upgrades. “It's gettin' pretty desperate around here.”

“I am sorry it took me so long,” she started shyly. She honestly couldn't remember a time she had willingly walked into a room containing so many 'bots that were not Neutrals. It was unnerving.

The inventor shook his head. “No, don't worry about that. I just hope you will be able to help us.”

“She will, Wheeljack,” Ironhide stated very confidently, which shocked Illusory. “It's her job after all.”

“Right,” the femme agreed, finally finding the courage to move forward. Wheeljack came to help her. With one look from the stubborn Neutral, he wisely kept his hands to himself, but stayed nearby. Illusory settled into an offered seat in front of the console and took a few kliks to familiarize herself with the strange human dialects Sideswipe had chosen for the subroutine. All of them were dead languages, not spoken in nearly a hundred Earth years. “Obviously has a penchant for the obnoxious,” she vented. The front-liner had complicated the simple program she had provided him, morphing it into a full fledged, but contained, virus.

“Do you know who did it?”

“It is far too early to register any signature,” it wasn't a lie. She neither stated the fact that she already knew who did it, nor denied it, just the fact that she had not found the mech's signature yet.

“Let me know as soon as you do,” Ironhide ordered, “I can't press charges if I don't have hard evidence.”

Illusory nodded, immediately seeking out the silver twins signature and eradicating it from existence. This early in the process, no one would ever know what she was doing, or what she had done. There was so much she  _could_ do...if she were still acting as a spy for hire.

Scatterblade silently cheered his friend for stepping up and helping out. It was such a little thing in the grand scheme of it all, but it felt like an enormous leap forward to him concerning the femme. His drive had become just a little easier, a touch more carefree and a laziness overcame him.

The air seemed to be cooling even though it was still morning. He wondered if maybe the seasons were about to change. He really didn't know all that much about the Earth seasons, but he knew enough to notice that the change in temperature could indicate a change in season.

He vented and pulled over to the side of the road. There wasn’t really any place he could go. He felt tired again so he decided it probably wasn’t too bad an idea to settle into recharge for a little bit. Finding some surge of en ergy from a new task, he began to drive again headed back to the base.

The 'bots watching over the femme noticed a change almost immediately as information started flying across the screen at such a fast pace that even they couldn't glimpse it before a thousand different things had already passed by. Illusory was so focused on her task that she no longer registered the existence of others. It was just her and the program, and the information in between.

The humans started to notice as one program after another returned to its proper function about thirty minutes in. They cheered with great gusto and relief for the femme, but she did not acknowledge them either.

“Femme,” Ironhide called, attempting to bring some of her focus to the world around her, but she did not even register his voice, let alone that he had called to her. ::Ratchet?::

::What is it?:: The medic snapped rather displeased.

::What exactly does that augmentation do?::

::Illusory's?::

::Yeah.::

::What happened?::

::If you have to ask, you probably don't want to know.::

Scatterblade arrived just as a mild rumble through the ground as the CMO slammed out of his med bay and stomped the entire distance to the central hub. 'What has Illusory gotten into this time?' He wondered, his fatigue forgotten for the concern that was quickly taking it's place.

Following Ratchet, he was a little alarmed to see everyone focused on a rather statuesque looking femme.

“Medical leave: indicating that someone is not  _medically fit for function,_ ” Ratchet recited as a way of a greeting. “Next time I say someone is on medical leave, I fully expect you to all understand and adhere to it.”

The medic scanned the streaming information, even his quick optics were unable to make sense of any of it as it sped past. A low growl rumbled through his frame as he assessed the situation. He could tell Ironhide exactly what he had allowed to happen by taking the femme's offer to assist them in this situation, alerting the humans to the fact that her 'dangerous programming' had not been repaired after all and risk that they might find the femme as a danger. That was a whole multiverse of trouble he simply did not wish to deal with, so he chose his one and only alternative.

With two quick motions, faster than anyone would have ever expected, the medic jolted the femme with a mild arch of electricity – just enough to cause her systems to stutter for a klik – from one of his many medical augmentations, and pulled her away from the console so that once her systems resumed, they would not go right back into optical rapid download.

“Illusory?” He leaned in close to her, forcing her to focus on him and only him. “You repaired the systems, good job.” His voice was factual, strict; no real compliment or accusation in it at all.

The femme stared blankly for a moment while her processor shifted from downloading to comprehending. “It was compliant with my contract with the human-Autobot alliance.”

“Uh-huh, now you are going straight back to the med bay so I can make sure you haven't fragged yourself – in compliance with your contract, under the subsection of medical aid and maintenance.”

Scatterblade stood in the room knowing full well to stay out of Ratchet’s way. He vented in relief when she spoke. He knew that when Illusory got into this mode, it could be difficult to get her out of it until she had accomplished whatever it was she was set to do. This had been the worst he had seen it, and it was a bit terrifying. Now he understood a little better why that particular processor augmentation was outlawed. At least Ratchet could keep an eye on her this time, but what if it happened again when she was off base? The young mech wondered if anything could be done to make her augmentation more manageable, though he knew it would be foolish to ask aloud and he didn’t really want to ask the medic or the femme. He had already gotten his head bitten off when he asked Illusory to have it slowed, and he didn’t want to get it into Ratchet’s processor to try again, either. He was just glad the prank was fixed and Illusory was still doing okay.

Illusory groaned dramatically. “Ah don't want to!” Her bold declaration garnered even more attention than she was receiving already. Most of the humans had only heard the femme speak in her very measured, formal speech pattern; her outburst most certainly wasn't what they expected from her.

For the 'bots, it was just as surprising, they had all heard the femme slip to the more lax speech and accent at least once, but it was almost always in times of strong emotion.

Ironhide was the first to break the rather awkward situation by laughing. “Sounds like she's going to fit in around here just fine.”

Scatterblade grinned trying to not let Illusory see he was laughing too.

Venting with frustration, Illusory tried to escape the medic, but she was trapped by his proximity. “Ratchet, I am perfectly functional, there is no need for me to waste away sitting in the med bay.”

“And just what do you think you're going to do?” The medic challenged.

The first thing Illusory wanted to say was far from appropriate and she wisely bit it back. “I simply prefer the openness of the outdoors compared to the monotony of the med bay. I have no intentions of exerting myself beyond my abilities.”

Scatterblade found his moment to interject. “She’s not lying about that,” he said of her latter comment.

Ratchet turned his attention to the younger mech. “Are you volunteering to keep an optic on her then?”

“Primus, medic! I do not require a sparkling sitter!” Illusory snapped, using the fact that Ratchet was not paying such strict attention to her anymore to slip around him. She could never out pace him in her current condition, but the space made her feel far more comfortable. “There are enough optics around this base that I am quite positive if I require assistance, there will be someone to point and laugh at me without you assigning 'bots that would serve far better doing something more constructive than hanging over my shoulder all day.” She turned to Scatterblade, a look of apology on her face. “Not that I do not enjoy your company,” she amended.

He grinned to assure her he was not offended. “She’s got a point,” he said to Ratchet though he knew it probably wasn’t what the medic wanted to hear.

A very dark look passed the medic's face, clear indication of his waning patience to deal with the insubordination he was being dealt.

“I will do it, medic, don't blow a gasket.” Ironhide stepped forward. “The femme has done us a favor, at the very least we can return it.”

Illusory watched the large mech with nothing short of pure suspicion. “I do not require you to watch over me,” she stated rather bluntly.

“Maybe not, but Ratchet is our Chief Medical Officer, and while you are on our base, he is your physician as well; which means on all accounts, that his medical word is law. If he wants someone to watch over you, someone is going to watch over you. You might as well deal with it.”

Ratchet vented some of his frustration away. “Let Ironhide keep an optic on you, or return to the med bay; I will give you those two options and no other.”

Illusory growled at the feeling of being overpowered by the medic. “Fine,” she looked at Ironhide with all of her distrust and suspicion openly showing in her entire frame. “I will take my chances with him.”

Scatterblade looked between the two slightly puzzled. He understood Illusory’s distrust, but Ironhide only wanted to help. Well, at least it seemed like he genuinely wanted to help.

Ironhide was unlike any mech he had ever met, and probably would ever meet. He was battle worn but knew how to diffuse tension. He’d always been optimistic, especially in battle, if Scatterblade believed the stories he had grown up learning; which he did. The younger mech believed that was what kept the old warrior going. Seeing a positive end to battle. Seeing his faction on the winning side. Ironhide may have been what his very name insinuated but Scatterblade had come to believe there was much more to him than what a 'bot might see at first meeting.

With a nod, and a short list of instructions given privately over a com. line to the large warrior, Ratchet left the central hub, Wheeljack following close behind, both wanting to get back to work. The humans dispersed after the short exchange between the 'bots, a few stopped to offer Illusory their thanks, of which she assured them was highly unnecessary. Soon, it was only those in the central hub to work, Ironhide, Illusory and Scatterblade left.

Trying not to notice the way Ironhide was studying her, Illusory turned for the door and made her retreat.

Ironhide followed the femme out of the building, his optics traced her every move, seemingly evaluating her as she went.

Scatterblade turned to leave after they had both exited, smiling to himself that he hadn't been needed at this little exchange; however he was glad he had been there to see it.

Illusory made a grand effort not to notice, but she could feel the large mech's optics on her. “What is it you are searching for?” She demanded once they were some distance away from the central hub.

“Nothing,” the weapons specialist shifted slightly, not concerned at all by being confronted.

Scatterblade hid his amusement that she had snapped at Ironhide, and he didn’t seem to care. That in itself was some kind of a miracle. It wasn't exactly like Ironhide not to jump at the opportunity for a fight of any kind.

“Nothing?” The femme tried to stand in defiance of the imposing mech, but her leg simply wasn't up to the effort and it quivered beneath her, causing her to lean heavily on the crutch. “Are you simply enjoying the fact that I am impaired?”

“You were damaged protecting a human, I take no amusement in your injury.”

“Then what is it you are staring at? You are making me uncomfortable.”

“You were uncomfortable before.”

Illusory gave a low annoyed growl. “What are you staring for?”

“Why did you help us?”

The femme shuttered her optics and turned away from the larger mech. She could tell him the truth, but where would that get her? “I paid heed to my contract only. Nothing more.”

Scatterblade didn’t mean to eavesdrop on the conversation; his intention had truly been to return to his quarters and recharge some more, but Ironhide’s question startled him. He knew enough of Ironhide to know that the old warrior never truly trusted anyone, Prime and Ratchet being the only exceptions the younger ‘bot could think of. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why he being so cautious again. She had proven she could be a great help to them. Of course she had helped cause the problem in the first place, but Ironhide didn't know that.

“There is that, I don't doubt it, but I think there's something else,” the mech challenged.

“What do you want from me? To tell you I planned it all so that I could get into the systems and take the information stored there? That I have every intention of resuming my dealings as I had done on Cybertron? Because if that is what you're searching for, old mech, you're going to be very disappointed.” Illusory could feel her whole frame growing tense, and her leg growing weak beneath her. She was afraid she would fall and look completely helpless in front of the aged warrior. However, much to her surprise, she felt someone come beside her and offer her support.

“That is what I wanted to hear,” Ironhide shifted the femme's slight weight so that she could stand, using his arm to keep her up. “Besides that, I already know that Sideswipe scammed you into providing him the subroutine.”

“You WHAT?!” The femme stumbled and nearly did fall as she pulled away from the larger mech.

Scatterblade groaned. So the big guy had known all along. Well at least he knew it wouldn't get any worse. Ironhide was actually helping her and that was more than enough for Scatterblade to know that she would be fine in his care and headed to his bunker.

Joors passed and the day turned to night without much further disruption aside from others talking about a rather impressive shout off between the Neutral femme and the Autobot weapons specialist; apparently it had been rather entertaining to see such a small and obviously not dangerous femme taking on the large, burly mech in a shouting match.

Illusory had managed to storm off, but not far. Instead, she decided to seek out her own solitude – or as much as she could find at any rate – and hid herself between two of the furthest hangers-turned-quarters she could find.

Scatterblade had decided the familiarity and monotony of his bunker was getting boring. Weary or not, there was only so much of it a mech could take and he certainly had his fill. Instead, he spent much of the day wandering the base, talking to soldiers when he could, and familiarizing himself with the base itself.

In his wondering he passed by the hangers again then paused. Backtracking a few steps, he confirmed his suspicion. “Hey, Lu,” he greeted the femme, bending down to see her. “Whatcha doing in here?”

“Hiding,” she grumped very similar to a grouchy youngling.

“Why?” He asked with a soft chuckle. “I mean, other than the obvious,” he amended. “There’s a lot you can avoid without actually hunkering down somewhere.”

"I am...tired. Tired, and confused, and afraid, and...I just don't understand what is goin' on in muh own head right now." She groaned, hiding her face on her knees. "Ah keep thinkin' that Ah don't wanna be here, then somethin' happens like today...and..." She vented roughly. "It has been a long time since I have felt accepted by more than singular individuals."

Scatterblade sobered at her words. He hadn't even considered that such a change would affect her like that. “I’m sorry it scares you, Illusory. What happened today? Was it after the twins' slag or just all of it?”

“I yelled at Ironhide.  _Ironhide_ ! And he just...yelled back.” She laughed. “It was kind of fun. Like...like he was not being mean, or distrustful, or anything like that, just yelling to yell, and I was doing the same.” She vented again. “And then I saw Sideswipe, who wasn't angry at all that I had disabled the subroutine he had planted; he just said 'good job' and went about is way – like it was nothing. It has been like that all day, 'bots and humans alike being kind, and familiar, and it...just is not normal.”

Scatterblade found himself laughing but his expression was pained. “Has no one ever shown you trust?” It felt like such an absurd question, but looking at her he knew it wasn't out of place. Illusory was a loner, she had been for a very long time. He never thought of the repercussions of such a life.

“I am a spy, trust does not exactly come with the job.”

He looked at her sternly, knowing that wasn't the entire root of the problem at hand. “What about before? You became a spy,” he said, hating actually saying the word, “but you weren't alwayss one. What about before?”

Illusory shrugged. “I can't say I really remember much of before that. My home was...wiped out, and I did what I could to survive. Being a Neutral does not come with much trust either – in the factions around my area it didn't at least – and the few of us that did survive were treated as something to be avoided. I became used to the idea that I was not to belong.”

Scatterblade nodded. Life had became vicious for them all when the war broke out. Nobody had been left untouched by its ravages. “I know it’s hard to let go,” he said, a heaviness and tiredness to his voice“believe me, but we’re not on Cybertron anymore. This place could be a new beginning. We can start fresh.” He tried to smile but his optics still held the look of a someone who knew he was fighting a losing battle. One simply could not chase away the shadows of a haunted past in one evening, or even a full orn, maybe not even a vorn or more. It was no easy task trying to comfort the femme.

“It is difficult to get used to,” Illusory agreed. “However...” She paused, lifting her head just enough so she could gaze beyond the small ally she hid in to see the world beyond. “I think, perhaps, I like it.”

The mech felt the heavy empathy dragging him down suddenly lift and he smiled. She had surprised him by this declaration but he didn’t analyze it any further than that. It would be foolish to do so, just because she could see the chance for hope didn't mean she was ready to run into it and let go of everything else.

He held a hand out to her standing up. “Wanna go for a walk?”

“I would like that.” She smiled, taking the hand and pushing herself to her feet. She stumbled a little in attempt to gain her balance, but Scatterblade was right there to keep her steady.

“Got ya,” he said reassuringly.

“Thank you,” the femme felt a strange sense of comfort knowing she could rely on the mech to help her. She had spent so much of her life on her own, even when in crowds, that she found the feeling alien and unfamiliar, but nice. Just like a lot of things she had been feeling today.

“I think I spotted a lake on one of my drives but I could have been wrong. It might have just been my processor creating things,” he said trying to think of a destination. He was also trying to ignore the way his spark sped up with her so close. It was almost like her presence suddenly had the power to make him nervous. Maybe nervous wasn’t the right word, but to Pit if he knew what was happening, just that he felt...strange.

“That sounds interesting, let us go see if it really exists,” she proclaimed in a rather adventurous tone. “And preferably before my current 'guard' relocates me.”

He smiled and led her in the direction of the lake.

They walked for a while, Illusory did fine most of the time to walk on her own, but every now and again her leg would grow weak and she would stumble a little.

When she did Scatterblade was right there keeping her from hitting the ground. It was a companionable silence that kept Scatterblade focused on making sure Illusory would be alright. For once he was glad for his one track processor.

Reaching a place where scraggly patches of grass had managed to take root, Illusory found her strength waning. She stopped and sat in the dirt and sand, looking at the patches of greenery. “I apologize, but I think this is my limit for the moment.”

Scatterblade helped her down, “It’s ok. Maybe next time,” he smiled brightly joining her on the ground.

The femme vented. “I cannot wait until I am whole again.” Her expression grew alarmed for a split second, and then sorrowful. “Such a causal thing for me to say,” she said softly, her thoughts turning back to Charlie and the repairs she could not have.

Scatterblade looked down to the ground. He too thought of Charlie. Illusory would not stop beating herself up about it. Not until she saw the human again. He vented; even then she still wouldn’t stop. “She’ll be alright,” he said softly putting a hand on Illusory’s shoulder, “I know you don’t believe me but she will be alright.”

Illusory leaned against the mech, feeling she needed the support just to stay upright. “It just does not seem fair.” She didn't go on any more than that, it would be nothing she hadn't already said a thousand times over. “I wish I were there, at least to see her, to say I am sorry.”

Scatterblade felt a pang in his spark. He wished the same thing so many times when he lost his team. He wrapped an arm around her to further keep her steady. “It won’t be long. Soon as Ratchet clears ya, we’re outta here.”

Nodding, the femme tried to get her processor off of the thread of thoughts it was on currently. Instead, she chose to enjoy the odd mix of desert and green life that was around them. There was some wild life, and the creatures didn't seem alarmed by the 'bots sitting there. A small herd of grazing beasts roamed into their area, completely ignoring their existence as they pulled at the patches of grass.

Scatterblade watched the animals remembering them from a previous visit (escapade) through a desert. He’d looked it up once that these were pronghorn, a kind of antelope. He’d read somewhere that they could run at a top speed of sixty miles per hour. He didn’t believe it watching them now. They slowly enjoyed the hearty desert plants.

It wasn't until after the moon had set that the two were interrupted. ::Not to spoil your fun, you two;:: Ironhide's voice rumbled over a private come to the two of them, ::but I believe Ratchet has reached the point of throwing things. Illusory needs to get back in.::

::Why have we not heard him over the general communications line?:: Illusory looked confused at Scatterblade, wondering if he had heard the medic's calls.

Scatterblade shrugged. ::We’ll come in now, though it may be slow going.:: he told Ironhide. “Can you walk?” he asked before standing.

::Understood.::

Illusory got to her feet, still feeling the weakness, but not as badly as before. “I should be all right.”

The black mech put her arm over his shoulder and put his arm around her waist. “This way I make sure you’re ok,” he said giving her his signature smile.

Illusory seemed a little surprised by the action, but did not protest.

With Scatterblade's help they made it back to the base in a respectable amount of time considering her condition. Ratchet was waiting.

“You are really pushing my tolerance,” he warned.

“I was sitting, watching native life forms enjoy the plant life. I hardly think that counts as anything beyond my limits.” Illusory explained simply.

“Yes, clearly...that is why you're being carried in?” The medic waived to Scatterblade's arm around her waist.

“Support hardly counts as carrying.”

Ratchet's expression darkened further. “You are pushing yourself too far. If you don't stop, you'll be trapped on a berth until I can get even more materials to rebuild an entire leg for you.”

Illusory looked unimpressed by the CMO's threat, but inside, she cringed.

“She’s bored out of her processor,” Scatterblade said with a half laugh on the end, though far from amused, “Give her a break. She wasn’t even on her leg half the time.”

The medic glared, and grumbled, and growled, but eventually calmed himself enough to point to the med bay. “Go lay down so I can check on your repairs,” he ordered.

Illusory had half a processor to decline, but she figured that would only bring more problems, so instead she decided to mock the medic as she went. “Of course, caretaker, whatever you say.” The sarcasm in her voice was thick enough to feel.

Scatterblade helped her to the berth. He sent a private comm to Illusory to make sure Ratchet didn’t hear them, ::I‘m seeing more every orn why no one wants to be in here.::

::It is...a bit much sometimes,:: the femme agreed, amusement coloring her voice. ::However, it cannot be easy to be in his position.::

When they reached the med bay and Illusory was comfortably back on her berth, she smiled. “Thank you for spending the evening with me. I enjoyed your company.”

The mech grinned at her, “I’m glad. I did too.” He paused that awkward sped up spark pulse came back and he added, “Get some rest,” before retreated from the med bay.

Ratchet came in just as Scatterblade was heading out, and he stopped the younger mech. “While you were with her, did you notice anything out of the ordinary?” The medic spoke in soft tones so he would not be overheard, his expression was of serious concern.

Scatterblade stopped dead and turned around. Concern written all over his faceplates he said slowly, “No. Why?”

The medic studied the younger 'bot for a moment, as if calculating what he should, or shouldn't say. “Nothing to be concerned about. I'm simply worried that she has been pushing her already fragile limits. Thank you. You should go rest.”

Scatterblade narrowed his optics, “That’s not what your faceplates said just now,” he said calling his bluff. “Neither of us heard you call. It was Ironhide that had to tell us you were losing your temper,” he said a tiny grin forming with his last words.

“That is because Ironhide was supposed to be the one keeping an optic on her today,” the medic explained easily.

Scatterblade’s grin widened for a brief moment, “She was hiding. And you’re avoiding.”

“Why was she hiding?” The medic looked confused, and suspicious. “Did something happen?”

The mech sighed and stepped a little farther away from the med bay. “She yelled at Ironhide and she didn’t get turned to slag. Primus forbid, someone’s nice to her,” he said sarcastically. He paused trying not to let his faceplates look pained. “She’s never had that, Ratchet. She’s never seen kindness directed at her. Not in a long time.”

Ratchet vented, all suspicion and concern fading away from his frame. “Yeah, I had gathered as much. It is a sad thing to see, unfortunately this war has given us plenty of examples to learn by. It's hard to believe that through everything she has suffered, she still seems to be so kind at spark. Not many retain that even with less strife in their lives.” The medic shook his head, as if bringing himself back from his own thoughts. “Thank you for watching her today, Scatterblade.” With that he turned and entered the med bay, a stern look on his face.

Scatterblade was about to call him back but his own fatigue made him wave his hand dismissively after the medic. He vented heading toward his quarters.

Illusory fell into recharge while Ratchet looked over her repairs. She was beyond exhausted, but she was content. Despite all the confusing things running through her processor, her spark felt lighter than it had for as long as she could remember.

Scatterblade drifted into recharge almost immediately after he hit the berth. He thought back to what he’d said to Illusory about letting go. “Yeah, take yer own advice, mech,” he mumbled to himself.

The next day started with a silence around the base that simply wasn't natural. The humans moved about their duties, keeping to themselves, or chatting quietly with their companions. The 'bots were much the same. There was some lingering sense of unsure tension that no one spoke of aloud.

Scatterbade spent much of his time in the med bay. He claimed to himself he was keeping Illusory sane. But the conversation he’d had with Ratchet still nagged at him.

Illusory seemed unaware of the mech's distraction; she simply enjoyed the company. She had made a half felt attempt to actually leave the med bay, but the medics had made it clear that she had already pushed her limits too far, and that she needed to be nearby for when Ratchet was ready to begin the final repairs. They kept promising it wouldn't be long now and that she should just be patient.

Scatterblade felt his worries fade as the time dragged on. Ratchet hadn’t mentioned it again and the uneasiness was starting to dissipate.

It was when Illusory was near her limit of remaining still that the CMO finally made an appearance in the med bay; his expression stern and formal. “It is time to finish your repairs,” he announced.

Illusory looked both hopeful, and nervous at the same moment. She was relieved that the repairs could finally be made and she could be on her way – but that didn't make the process itself any less nerve wracking to her. It was once again laying her frame and spark in the hands of someone else.

Scatterblade saw her uneasiness and gave her a reassuring smile, “You got this,” he said placing a gentle hand on hers.

Ratchet prepared the femme for the last of her repairs at a slow, easy to follow pace, seeming to sense her unease. He was going to have to put her in stasis yet again to replace some of the fine wiring in her leg, but he waited until the last moment to do that, but when he began that part of the process, Illusory started to panic.

“You have nothing to be afraid of,” Ratchet tried to sooth her, but his words just unnerved her more.

“That's what they always say,” she growled.

“It’ll be ok,” the younger mech told her, tighten her hand in his, “I’ll be right here. You’ll do fine.”

Despite the femme's growing tension, Ratchet continued. As long as she wasn't physically attempting to stop him, he saw no need to stretch the process out any further than necessary, that would only cause her more stress.

Illusory clung to Scatterblade's hand as though it would keep her from falling into the stasis the medic had already initiated. “Don't let him deactivate me,” she begged softly as the stasis finally claimed her and she fell limp.

Ratchet looked hurt by the plea, but said nothing. He understood the femme hadn't said it to intentionally cause strife, she was honestly afraid.

Scatterblade nodded though she never saw it. Even after her hand went limp he hung on to it as if to further validate his promise. “She’s going to fine,” he turned to ratchet, “right?” He needed some confirmation. He was more worried than scared.

“It is just repairs. She will be fine,” Ratchet spared the mech a confident smile before the other medics came in and like a swarm, they began the repairs.

He nodded laughing at himself slightly for being so paranoid. He was sure to keep out of the way but keep contact with her to the whole time. He didn’t know if she could tell he was there or not but he just wanted to cover his bases.

The repairs were over after just a few joors, but the medics didn't move away. At that point, Wheeljack, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Dino came to deliver the newly finished armor that would complete the work done on the femme's frame. The new armor was stronger than her previous armor; maybe not quite to the level of most of the warriors on base, but no simple vehicle would damage the femme so badly ever again, that was for sure.

Like before the medics swarmed on the placement of the armor, this time with Wheeljack leading.

Scatterblade looked on at times in awe of the precision and focus. Illusory was right, these guys had a tough job but they were working magnificently.

When all was done, the medics, and extra hands all left, leaving only Ratchet behind to awaken the femme. He initiated the process, and then he too left the room, allowing her to come online with nothing to alarm her nearby.

Illusory came online slowly, sluggishly, her optics not focusing on anything until a soft sound from another room seemed to bring her to some form of alertness. She reflexively jolted up, looking to see where she was and what danger she might be in.

Scatterblade sat back on the stool and raised his hands in mock surrender, “It’s just me,” he laughed, “Told you, you’d be fine.”

“I...” a wave of concern and then realization waved over the femme as the repairs registered. She no longer felt weak, her leg didn't hurt and she felt the heaviness of the armor on her frame. “Wow,” she breathed with a little amazement.

Scatterblade laughed let it roll over him. “Why are you surprised? You were in great hands,” he added emphatically.

“I...just...they...I don't understand,” she finally finished somewhat lamely. “Why would they do this?” She waved generally at the armor covering her frame now.

Scatterblade’s face pained again but he quickly hid it. “Because they wanted to,” he stated.

Illusory vented, understanding still not coming to her. She stood, slowly as if expecting her leg to give out on her, yet it held. She took a few testing steps and then just stood there staring at the floor.

“Lu..?” The mech watched her carefully.

“Is this some kind of trick?” She asked, her voice weak and wavering.

Scatterblade vented shaking his head, “No.”

Her confusion just compounded, looking almost painful. “Then...what is it?”

Scatterblade furrowed his optics, “Exactly what Ratchet said it was. Repairs. They helped fix you up. What do you think all that time was for sitting in the med bay?”

“I don't know,” she paced a few more steps, looking lost. “I...I am going to see Charlie,” she announced a split klik before she rushed the exit.

He followed after her, “Well, wait up then. Shouldn't we let someone know we're going?”

Illusory only paused for a moment before transforming – her new armor sliding easily into her chosen alt mode – her engine revved with her desire to run, but she stayed put. “Who?”

“Ratchet, for one. Maybe Prime,” he shrugged, “Can’t just up and leave without letting them know. Ratchet would blow a gasket and sick ‘Hide on us,” he said trying not to chuckle.

The femme's engine roared a few more times before she transformed back to her bipedal mode and looked hesitantly back at the med bay. “I suppose you are right.”

“I’m not sending you by yourself,” he reassured almost annoyed, “Come on,” he said walking toward the med bay, “We’ll be done here soon and in Utah before sun down.”

Illusory nodded and allowed Scatterblade to lead the way.

The young mech walked into the CMO’s office, knocking first. "Ratchet?"

The medic turned to see who was coming in, and welcomed the mech. “What can I do for you?” He spotted the femme behind Scatterblade and also noticed her hesitance to enter.

“Illusory and I were going to head back to Logan today. I was just wondering who we were to tell before we disappeared.”

Ratchet's optics fixed the femme with an appraising stare, obviously not pleased with the news. “You will need to report to Optimus so he can clear you for your duties.”

The young mech nodded silently cycling air through his vents. “Thanks. We’ll do that,” he said and turned to leave.

Illusory paused before following Scatterblade from the med bay, she looked back to where the medic still sat studying her. “Thank you,” she mumbled before rushing to catch up with the front-liner.

Scatterblade smiled to her when she caught up to him. He was glad he knew where the Boss Bot’s office was. But to make sure he made a private comm. to the Autobot leader. ::Prime? This is Scatterblade. Do you have a moment?::

::Of course,:: the Autobot leader replied.

He pushed back his nervousness and repeated what he told Ratchet.

::If you are both up to the task, I see no cause to keep you from your task.:: The mech did not sound displeased, or happy to hear the news. He was completely neutral. ::Report in often, and do not hesitate to contact us if there are any problems. Illusory is your charge now. Protect her well.::

Scatterblade vented heavily letting the command fall on him. ::I will,:: he told Prime. He stopped and turned to Illusory. “You ready to head out?” he asked.

“Yes,” Illusory nodded eagerly.

Scatterblade nodded. He led her outside where he transformed to his Bonneville and drove for the gates.

Illusory followed suit, charging out as the gates were opened. She felt good to be able to drive again, to be able to move without a crutch, or someone holding her up. Her need to get to Charlie grew stronger the further they went, and the more speed she picked up to match that need.

Scatterblade kept pace with her knowing that she was desperate to get back. An uneasiness wash over him when he thought about the young woman. Illusory wasn’t going to like what she saw. He just hopped that they could help her through this.

 


	14. Event Fourteen

**Event Fourteen**

~

_Venturing forth into that which appears shattered might prove that what you fear is merely an illusion. Open your eyes and see what is real._

_~_

When they reached the hospital Charlie was supposed to be at, Illusory grew alarmed to find the girl was no longer there.

“She went home with her aunt and uncle,” the lady at the information desk explained sweetly. “You should call them if you would like to see her. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear from her friends.”

“Could we get the number from you?” Scatterblade asked.

“No, I'm sorry. That's private information. You may try someone else that has their number.” The nurse gave them a sympathetic look.

“Thank you,” Illusory offered as she turned to leave, only holding her holoform long enough to pass the mass of people inside.

::Don’t worry,:: Scatterblade said with confidence. ::We’ll look them up in the phone book. It shouldn't be hard to find them.:: He quickly accessed the directory online and sought out Charlie's relatives. Once he located the number and address he relayed them to Illusory.

The femme rushed off once more, finding the address easily enough. Once in front of the building she stopped. She didn't produce her holoform, or move for that matter. Fear gripped her as she looked to be facing the human she was so sure would be angry with her.

Scatterblade sighed, his holoform taking shape in the driver’s seat of his alt mode. ::You coming? Or do you need a klik?::

::What if she does not want to see me? What if she is angry? I do not want to upset her...::

::She was glad you were safe when I went to her right after the accident,:: he said simply. ::She’s probably still hurting physically but I don’t think she’ll be mad.::

With great hesitation, the femme created her holoform just outside of her alt mode, her worry clearly transferring to the holographic human face. Scatterblade came to stand beside her. He gave her a reassuring smile before leading the way to the door.

Illusory followed, nervous, but eager. She really wanted to see Charlie, wanted to say she was sorry, wanted to see the damage for herself, but she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to look at the human the same, or that Charlie would be so angry she wouldn't even look at her. Scatterblade's reassurances were helpful, but she just couldn't see how the human would 'be okay' with one less arm.

Just then they heard a shout and door slamming. To their left a gate opened and Charlie emerged her face and eyes looked red from crying. She meant to storm down the street, to go anywhere but there, but she stopped blinking her eyes a few times at the two people standing in front of her. “Illusory?” She breathed, shock and surprise on her face. She laughed with disbelief and launched herself at the femme's holoform. “You came back,” she laughed hugging her tightly.

Illusory was beyond surprised, beyond shocked, but she had sense enough to wrap her arms around the girl. “Of course I came back,” her voice trembled as she held Charlie. “I am so sorry, I should have been paying more attention...” her voice broke and wouldn't continue at that point.

Charlie started crying. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she managed to get out through choked sobs.

The femme released the human so she could look her over. “Yes, I was repaired.” She sighed softly. If she were able to cry, she would. “What is going on here? Why were you so upset?”

Charlie took a few shuddering breaths to calm herself wiping her tears away. “I was ah- just mad at my aunt and uncle. They want to send me back home. My parents want me to come home too.” She shook her head the anger from before rising to the surface again. “I’m nearly twenty-one, you think they would know I’m not a kid anymore. I can take care of myself.”

“If I am aware of the human rules of accountability; are you not considered an adult by all laws and able to choose for yourself?”

Charlie laughed pitifully at the femme's attempt to be helpful. “Yes, but they think I can’t take care of myself now,” she raised her partial limb as evidence, then sighed. “It’s been hard getting used to not seeing it there, but I’ve figured out ways to make it work. I even figured out how to wash my hair!” She said proudly with her goofy smile which contrasted her puffy red eyes.

The absolute guilt and despair Illusory felt was almost as painful as the injuries she had suffered. She tried to keep it from showing on her face, but the shadows were still there. She simply didn't understand how Charlie could seem so...well, like this wasn't a life changing event for her. “Is there really no way to repair you?”

Charlie took a breath to further calm herself and gather her thoughts. She looked down at her arm, thinking of the options she had been given. “They told me I could get a prosthetic, but I’m not sure how much I like the idea. My little brother said it’d be great for Halloween,” she laughed at her brother's enthusiastic descriptions. “Either go as Frankenstein and watch the kids see me fall apart or go as Caption Hook.” She sighed shaking her head. “I don’t know what I want to do yet.”

“Caption Hook?” Illusory wasn't sure if she found the strange title amusing, or if it was something she should discourage.

“Bad guy from a story. Had a hook for a hand ‘cause a boy cut it off and..” she trailed off at the look on both of their faces. She hadn't really paused to think about how such a story would sound to someone who had never heard it – not to mention that they were alien and not entirely coherent of all Earth quirks. “Not really important.” She smiled at them and hugged Illusory once more. “I’m so glad to see you again. I honestly thought you were a goner. They showed me what the wreck looked like, it was horrible.”

“It was not so bad, the appearance was far worse than the fact.” Illusory sighed.

“I’m glad it wasn't so bad because it sure looked scary.”

“What will you do now?”

Charlie’s shoulder’s slumped. “I don’t want to go home, but I do know I need to take a break from school. I gotta relearn how to write, I was right handed.”

Illusory studied the ground for several kliks. “Let me assist you.” She wasn't exactly sure what she was going to do to help the girl, but whatever she had to do, she would do it.

Charlie smiled for her. “It's more complicated than that. If I stay on my own, I gotta find a way to get an apartment or something. I’m not even sure if I still have a job or not. I've been away for a while.”

“Shouldn’t they be lenient about that? It was a serious accident,” Scatterblade asked, speaking up for the first time during their reunion.

“They should but I heard they had to hire to make up for my not being there. I can't say I'd blame them.”

“I will acquire a residence for you to stay in,” Illusory stated matter-of-factually, a very determined look taking over her face. “I have more than enough financial gain to support you.”

Charlie’s face paled slightly. “Um, that’s great and all but my family will put up a huge fight. My parents weren’t able to come up here and my aunt and uncle were gonna fly me down to Cali to see them. I already made that promise. I want to convince them that I can be on my own but so far they want to lock me up at home.”

“How will returning to them prove that you can be on your own?” Illusory pressed, looking for information that would help her know what to do.

“Sorry, should have explained that better,” she winced, “They haven’t seen me since the accident. I think once they see how well I’m adjusting they will be able to let me come back with a clear conscious.”

“I...see.” Illusory really didn't understand, but if that was what Charlie was going to do then there was nothing more for her to say.

Just then Charlie’s uncle came out of the house, a look of mild annoyance on his face. “You calmed down now or..?” he stopped seeing the visitors. At first he was just surprised, but the moment he saw the familiar white car his expression flashed with suspicious understanding. “Charlie, come inside. You need to pack,” he ordered curtly.

“Jeff, can't it wait?” Irritation boiled to the surface of Charlie's voice.

“No, the dogs are getting into your stuff,” he said bluntly.

“What?! And you’re letting them?” She ran for the stairs to the front door, forgetting for the moment that her friends would be left with her uncle.

He stepped aside on the little porch to let her pass, then he came down the steps to face the two people standing on his lawn.

Jeffery Wall was a tall man, reaching about six foot three with receding red hair.  He stopped in front of the two holoforms, studying them for a moment. He gestured to Scatterblade, “I remember you from the hospital. What was your name again?”

“Uh,” he hadn’t thought about it at the time. He knew his designation would sound very strange and that he needed a human name that would fit in. Immediately, for some unknown reason, his processor started replaying a television show he had once seen while surfing YouTube out of boredom. “Jag, sir.” He added the title out of respect, and because he felt he was being interrogated.

Jeff nodded and turned his attention to Illusory. “I don’t know you. Is that your car?” He asked pointing to the white Tiburon.

“It is,” Illusory replied softly, not looking at the man, or at her alt form behind them.

“Did you lend it to someone?”

“No,” now the man had her attention. “Why?”

“Then who was driving?”

“When?” Illusory was growing nervous.

Jeff looked at her confused. He had been sure that his assumption was correct, but this girl looked completely unharmed. “The night Charlie was in the accident, no one ever saw the driver.”

The femme looked nervously to Scatterblade and then back at Jeff. “I...it was me.”

Jeff paused trying to keep a look of anger from his face. “Where the hell were you? What happened to you? Why weren't you there for her?”

Scatterblade finally stepped up, seeing that this was going to turn bad very quickly. “I think we need to take this a little more calmly.” He stood between the larger man and the femme's holoform in attempt to bring some reason back to him.

“You don’t look hurt,” Jeff continued angrily. “Why couldn’t anyone find you? They had to rip the door off that stupid car just to get her out, but you were nowhere to be found!”

“Hey, that’s enough,” the mech said more firmly. “I know you’re upset, but this isn’t going to help. You think you’ll change something by upsetting both of them?”

“Just stay out of this, Jag. Charlie’s family has a right to know what really happened,” Jeff fumed.

“I...I...” Illusory stammered, what was she supposed to say? Should she say she was taken completely offline and was rescued by her own kind where she spent a painful amount of time waiting until she was repaired? “Ah'm sorry,” she whimpered, stepping away from the man. “Ah didn't know what ta do, or how ta help...Ah...couldn't do anythin'!” She scooted a little further back toward her alt mode, of which was also starting to creep away from the curb.

Scatterblade glared at the man trying to resist the urge to pummel him.

Jeff shut his eyes and rubbed his face with his hand. He took in a breath and let it out long and slow. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s been a rough month for all of us,” he let his hand fall and Scatterblade could see tears squeezing out of the man’s eyes. “It’s hard to accept. With Charlie's injury...it’s hard to take in right now. Did you get flung from the car or something? Is that why you seem to be unhurt?” He asked, old habits not dieing.

“Y-yeah,” Illusory agreed nervously. It was an easy answer for a far too complicated situation. “Ah w-was picked up an taken ta an infirmary...Ah was in...rehabilitation for uh while or Ah'd have come right away...” Her explanation faded out there, partially because she didn't know how much she should really tell and also because she felt it was a very sad excuse for an explanation.

Jeff accepted the answer with a huff and a nod. He felt a little bad for the girl. She was obviously regretful, and surely had not gotten away unscathed. “Now that I’ve gotten everyone off on the wrong foot, can I start over?”

Scatterblade simply glared at him but nodded.

“My name is Jeff, I’m Charlie’s uncle,” he waved rather than shaking hands. He felt he needed to work up to that. “And you’re name is?” He asked of the femme.

“Ill...Lu.” Illusory wouldn't look at the man, shame still apparent in all of her features. “I should probably be going, Charlie has a lot to deal with, I probably should not be here.”

“Please, don’t leave on my account. She’s been really worried about you,” he said much more softly this time.

Scatterblade sighed silently as the tension started to dissipate.

“Come inside,” Jeff offered nodding his head toward the door.

Illusory hesitated, looking to Scatterblade for encouragement before deciding she wanted to see Charlie far more than she wanted to avoid this one particular human and the possible blame he still held on her. “Okay.”

The mech nodded, taking the lead towards the house.

They walked into a modest size living room with a kitchen off to the left. Between the kitchen and living room toward the back of the house was a hallway that Scatterblade assumed led to rooms by the lack of clear lighting at this time of day. There was also a door in the corner of the kitchen that swung open just as he entered the living room.

Charlie had come upstairs from the basement after examining her belongings for damage. She had a confused look on her face as she came to confront her uncle. “Cosmo and Maya were in the backyard,” she said locking eyes with Illusory then her uncle, knowing something had transpired between her friend and her relative.

Jeff simply shrugged as apology and headed for the hallway, clearly not interested in explaining himself.

Charlie turned to look at the two holoforms currently occupying the living room. “Hey, you okay?” She asked Illusory, noting the shadowed look on her face.

“I am fully functional,” the femme responded almost automatically. “Is there anything I can do to assist you?”

Charlie smiled at the odd answer. She was learning enough about the femme to know she was avoiding an uncomfortable subject. “No, I’m alright.” She kept looking at Illusory as if to make sure she was actually there. Her dreams had been so full of painful scenarios while recovering, she could almost believe that this was just another one, perhaps blocking out the truth of reality.

Deciding this was indeed real, she gave the femme another hug. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Illusory returned the hug. “I am very happy to see you as well.”

“So tell me,” she said dragging the femme to the couch, “Where’ve you been?”

“Trapped in Ratchet's medical bay, mostly.” Illusory allowed herself to be drawn to the couch and sat beside the human. “Though I did manage to escape on occasion. Thankfully Sca...um... _ Jag _ was there to keep me company. I am sure I would have been out of my processor in no time had he not been around.”

Charlie gave the mech a mock-impressed look over the cover name. “Nice choice.”

She had a smile that, to the mech, seemed like she was scheming something that he wasn’t particularly sure he was gonna like. It was eerily similar to one of Sunstreaker or Sideswipe’s grins when they were up to no good.

She turned her attention back to the femme. “I’m glad he had your back. I remember you said your last stay wasn't so nice. Was it...weird still? Were they at least kinder this time around?”

“In honor of our contract...” Illusory began, but stopped. “Yes. They were far more hospitable this time, if not a little...too...nice in the case of some.”

Charlie raised an eyebrow shooting a questioning glance to Scatterblade for a moment. “That’s good. Not much to report here,” she groaned, “I’ve been stuck. Gotta walk everywhere; I tried to ride my bike the other day and my aunt and uncle wouldn’t even let me take it out of the garage. I learned how to ride one handed a long time ago,” she protested mostly to herself, “it's not like I'm completely incapable!”

“Well, now that I have been released, I can assist you with your travel at least,” Illusory offered. “That is, if you do not mind.”

Charlie smiled, relief clear in her tone. "I would love it, Lu. So, Jag,” she said testing the name out, “you gonna stick around this time?”

He chuckled at the question. “Most definitely. Takes a lot to drive me away.”

Charlie laughed, “Awesome.”

“He is my assigned Autobot guard,” Illusory said with mock discontent, sending a smile Scatterblade's way just to assure him she wasn't upset by the arrangement one bit.

“I like to see it as a partnership rather than guard and guarded; but each their own,” he said nonchalantly a crooked grin playing on his face.

Illusory shrugged. “It is what it is. Either way, he is to go wherever I go.”

“Fun,” the human laughed. “Speaking of going. I’m so bored, I’ve been cooped up in here since I got discharged. Maybe we could go somewhere or go see something?” She asked hopefully.

The femme practically leaped at the opportunity. “Absolutely! Where would you like to go?”

“We could go to Emmigration Canyon,” Charlie practically squealed. “There’s a lot of good hiking and tons of space.”

Illusory did a quick check on the location and then nodded. “That seems acceptable.”

Scatterblade nodded clapping his hands together. “Great. Who’s gonna tell her uncle?” He asked raising a brow and grimacing.

“Don’t bother,” Charlie said standing up, “I’ll let him know. We might even be able to turn this into a camping trip,” she said her face lighting with a smile.

Not daring to be too hopeful, Illusory frowned a little. “Will he be upset that you are leaving with me?”

Charlie paused. “He’ll be fine, he’s just a little...overprotective. He kinda took it upon himself to be a dad while I’m out here. We’ll be okay.”

Illusory nodded. She stood back as the young woman left, sending a worrisome look to Scatterblade.

The mech grinned to reassure her. ::It will be fine,:: he sent to her confidently, ::just like she said.:: He was sure Jeff would not be too harsh on his niece but he turned up his audios just in case. Charlie knocked on the door to her uncle’s room, her confidence wavering just slightly. “Jeff?”

He looked up from where he sat on his bed talking with his wife. “Hey, kiddo what’s up?”

She grinned at the nickname. Even if she wasn’t found of it, she wasn’t going to complain to him. “I really need to get out the house for a while. I feel like I’m getting cabin fever.”

“You can go on a walk,” he chuckled, “don’t need my permission for that.”

“I was thinking about taking Sc- Jag and Lu to the Emigration Canyon. They haven’t been to all the site in Utah. Thought it would do me some good to get outside and show them around.”

Jeff glanced toward Lauren then Charlie then back again.

“I think it sounds like a great idea,” Lauren said with a smile. “Just be sure you’re phone is on and we can a hold of you. Check in occasionally, okay?” Jeff was about to protest but Lauren put a hand on his. “Charlie’s gonna be twenty-one in a few months, we can’t always protect her. At least she'll be with friends, and she's right. She should get out a little.”

Jeff sighed, “Alright. Have fun. And keep us in the loop. Text your aunt Lauren when you get to the canyon. Just so we know you made it there and when you have service again.” he said as if putting his demands for a contract.

“Thanks,” Charlie said giving them a wave, “I’ll keep in touch.”

Illusory felt a sharp jolt of joy when she saw Charlie coming back looking happy. “We are going then?” Outside, her engine roared to life with her excitement.

“Yes, we are,” Charlie said joyfully pumping her fist in the air. “Let me grab a backpack real fast. Gonna need some water too.”

With a smile, the femme headed toward the door to wait for the human.

“This will be nice,” Scatterblade said walking out with Illusory. “No more running. No more fighting,” he chuckled. “Never thought it would happen.”

“Neither did I,” the femme sighed. “This world...it is a good place.”

He nodded with agreement.

Just then Charlie came outside. “Ready?” She asked walking past them both to get into Illusory’s alt mode.

Not thinking, Illusory dropped her holoform and opened her passenger door for the girl.

Lauren had been watching the trio from the kitchen table. She blinked and rubbed her eyes at what she was sure had been one of them just vanishing. Surely it was the dirty windows, she had just not seen the woman walk to the car.

Scatterblade felt his spark skip a beat. He looked toward to house expecting someone to come rushing out and demanding him to confirm what they saw, but when no one did, he sighed in relief and opened the door to sit in the drivers seat of his own alt mode. He really had to speak to her about that.

The two cars sped off once on the highway. Scatterblade kept an eye on everything out of habit, searching for anything that might have been out of the ordinary.

Charlie talked for much of the trip, glad to be out and about and feeling greatly relieved that her friend was safe. She filled Illusory in on what she had relearned to do since she found herself needing to be left handed.

Illusory listened happily to Charlie, the whole time her processor in a whirlwind of amazement at the way the human was able to adapt to life with a missing limb. “Your species is very impressive,” she stated finally. “I cannot claim that any in my kind would know what to do if we were to lose a limb permanently...” her voice faded out as she realized what she had just said. “I am sorry.”

Charlie’s smile faded only for a moment. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“I was really sacred when I woke up,” she said softly, “I kept thinking it was a dream and that it would be alright after a good night’s sleep. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t mad. I should have been furious with that drunk that hit us, but I wasn’t. I kept staring at my hand for almost a week,” she flexed her left hand fingers and flipped it back and forth. “When I lost the bandages, I got into this habit of covering my elbow with my hand. It took about a week before I decided that the reason I wasn't mad was because I was grateful to still be able to walk, to be able to think correctly. So much could have happened, but it didn’t. Just my arm,” she chuckled emptily.

“They told me they couldn’t fix my elbow, all the bones were crushed. I would have been in pain my whole life if they had tried to fix it. It’s been hard to get used to, but I think I’ll be better for it. I think if I just stay positive I’ll be okay.” She smiled at the drivers seat not really knowing where to look with Illusory’s holoform off.

Illusory's anger flared violently, causing her entire frame to shiver. How could Charlie not be angry? How could she be willing to just...just  _ go on _ ? She was angry enough for the both of them, but she just couldn't understand how the human was so willing to let it all go in the face of something that would so obviously change her entire life. “You...are not upset with that individual for his disregard of the law?”

“Oh, I’m upset,” she said emphatically, “don’t get that wrong, but I’m not about to let it rule me. I’m not going to be angry for the rest of my life. I still haven’t even heard what happened to them. I guess the insurance company is having a hard time getting a hold of them or something. I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t want to be angry. I was angry for a good two weeks. Didn’t talk to anybody. No, I was so confused as to why it happened, not angry. For all I know the person that hit us is probably agonizing over this.”

“It would serve him right,” Illusory growled, her engine revving. “I do not pretend to understand why you can let it go, justice should be served.”

“It will,” Charlie said placing her hand on the dashboard. “It will be. Just not by our hands. I don’t want to,” she said softly.

That brought Illusory back to herself. Charlie didn't want to be the one to bring the one who had harmed her to justice, she believed that it would be dealt with. She suddenly felt lost again, her rather single-minded determination to seek out and deliver justice to the human no longer had the fire behind it that had once been there. “How else am I to make this right?” She asked helplessly.

“Don’t leave me again,” Charlie muttered trying not to cry, “if you can help it.”

Illusory pondered the simple request for a moment. “I believe I can accommodate that,” she said softly, soothingly. “I had honestly been afraid you would never wish to see me again.”

“You scared the crap outta me by disappearing!” Charlie groaned, then sighed with resignation. “I know it couldn’t have been helped. You needed help too, and I'm glad you got it, but I was so afraid.”

“I am sorry,” the femme apologized. “I would have returned much sooner; however, Ratchet would have none of that.”

“Probably for good reason,” she said shuddering as she remembered the pictures of the crash. She took in a deep breathe to force them from her mind. “Don’t be sorry. Not about getting better.”

Illusory was quiet after that, happy to just be driving and to be in the presence of Charlie and Scatterblade. When they finally approached the canon she slowed. “Where do you wish to go?”

“There’s a waterfall up one of the trails. I’ve been trying to go see it but always had school get in the way,” she said wistfully, “I’ve never seen a big waterfall. I’ll bet it’ll be too cold for lots of visitors this time of year.”

“Then that is where we will go.” The femme took some time locating a good place to start from, then generated her holoform standing next to the drivers side door.

Scatterblade pulled up next to Illusory. “So what’s the plan?” he asked his holoform appearing and leaning against his alt mode.

“Bridal falls,” Charlie said pulling on the jacket she had in her backpack.

Scatterblade couldn’t help but notice that her right sleeve was tied in a knot so that the extra material didn’t get in the way.

Illusory scanned the area, finding the best path to take she spared the human a concerned look, but said nothing of it. “Let us get started,” she pointed the direction she thought would be best.

Charlie nodded following the marked trail.

Scatterblade followed them up the mountain, staying just far enough behind that he could see both of them, and keep an eye on their surroundings at the same time. ::Think we’ll need to go on foot?::

::My holo-emitter will not reach the summit; I plan to follow along the less accessible routes.::

The mech nodded in agreement. ::Should I follow using the Pretender?:: He suggested. ::That way she has someone with her the whole time?::

::If you are comfortable with it, I would appreciate it. All we need is for her to fall while our emitters are re-syncing and can do nothing to aid her.::

“Hey I’m gonna get something from the car. I’ll be right back.” he called to Charlie.

The woman waved continuing up the trail.

Scatterblade dismissed his holoform and released his Pretender, then hurried to catch up to them holding a water bottle in his hand. “This fell out of your backpack.” He explained to Charlie.

She turned to look back to see what he had. “Oh, thanks.” She reached for the bottle but the mech shook his head.

“I’ll carry it for you.”

Illusory smiled at Scatterblade's Pretender coming up the hill, their alt forms already moving to the more secluded areas where they could transform and follow the climb. “How long do you suppose this will take?” She asked Charlie conversationally.

“I don’t know,” Charlie shrugged keeping her eyes ahead of her feet so she wouldn’t trip. “I have never been on this part of the hike. My friends say it’s about a half hour to the falls. Not a long hike but worth the trek up.”

“I see. It is pleasant enough,” the femme stated, taking in all of the scenery surrounding them.

A little further in Charlie’s face lit up as something caught her attention. “Oh wow! I didn’t now these grew here!” She went off the path a little toward a tall tree.

Scatterblade looked up at it and recognized it to be a type of pine tree. The long needles covering the branches that started some eight feet off the ground unlike most Christmas pine trees he had seen pictures of. “What is it?” He asked, wondering why this tree was so special.

“It’s a Ponderosa Pine,” she squealed placing her hand on the trunk. “These grow in the mountains I use to visit as a kid. The bark is special so we used to call these Neapolitan trees.”

“Why?” Illusory joined Charlie beside the tree. It was an organic plant, and nothing much else to her.

Charlie grinned as if she was about to give away a secret. “Everyone smells something different from them; strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate. Sniff the bark.” She put her nose on the tree and took in a deep whiff. “I always smell strawberry.”

Scatterblade looked at her skeptically, then he did the same. He pulled away with a surprised smile on his face. “Wow, that smells sweet,” he said not really knowing the difference between the flavors Charlie had mentioned.

Illusory mimicked the actions, her scanners taking in the information. “A chemical reaction,” she stated. “It does have a sweet scent about it, but why is that special?”

“It’s the only tree I’ve ever found that smells this good,” she shrugged the grin never fading from her face. “It has some good memories with it.”

“I see,” though she really didn't.

Scatterblade laughed at the look on the femme’s face, knowing she was missing the whole point of the activity. ::It’s kinda cute how she gets happy over really simplistic things. She sort of acts like a sparkling.::

::It is very refreshing,:: Illusory agreed.

Charlie climbed on using her right arm when she needed to pull herself up onto one of the higher rocks. She was doing very well despite her disability.

Illusory was sure to stay close to the girl, to ensure that if she were to slip she wouldn't fall.

Soon they began to hear the roar of water.

“We’re almost there,” Charlie called over her shoulder.

The group continued on crossing the stream that was fed by the waterfall. A growing excitement started to fill Charlie as she heard the falls grow louder and louder.

Illusory was taken in both by Charlie's excitement and the sound of the roaring waters. She couldn't compare it to anything, really, and it was impressive. Her true form was climbing the last distance on the far side of the falls, so she had a complete surround sound of it.

Scatterblade followed Illusory in his bipedal mode, his Pretender staying close to Charlie.

The girl giggled as the deep sound of the falls filled her. The chilly mist coated her face, but her smiled could not be deterred. She inched closer to the water, careful to stay off the wet rocks. Once she was close enough she held her hand under the largest sprays of the fall. It tingled as the bitter cold droplets rained on her.

The femme simply stared at the cascade of water slamming to the ground under the power of gravity. “Primus,” she whispered, both from her holoform and her true form as she came around to see with her own optics.

Scatterblade came up behind the femme and took in the view. It wasn’t like the major waterfalls he had come across while surfing the internet; it wasn’t grand or large, but he was still entranced by the image of it. The din of the water turned to a steady beat that pulled him in, he couldn’t tear his optics away. He could see the light dancing on the water and a small display of color as the prism effect took place.

What was more fascinating was that he could swear some of the water near the top of the rocky cliff looked solid despite his ability to see finer details. It took a bit, but after a moment he realized that it was ice. The waterfall had started to freeze near the top.

Illusory came as close to the water as she dared, looking over its frothy white swirls where the water falling hit the water gathering; it made the most beautiful turmoil she had ever seen. A part of her hated it, while another loved to see something so violent create something so amazingly exquisite. It struck her in an odd way, like something somewhere was trying to communicate a message to her somehow – though she knew that was ridiculous.

Charlie smiled shaking the water off her hand, sighing happily now that she had finally seen the falls she had heard so much about. She found a dry rock and sat down to just enjoy the sound and view for a while. As she looked up, she spotted both 'bots on their feet and it made her heart flutter just a little with excitement. She had only ever seen Illusory in her true form, with Scatterblade beside her she had to wonder just how big these aliens could really get.

“Good to officially meet you, Scatterblade,” she greeted a bit impishly.

“Likewise,” he said sweeping a hand out and giving a slight bow.

It startled Illusory a bit to realize that this was the first time Charlie was actually seeing Scatterblade for what he was. She had simply taken it for granted that the mech had been around, but he had never had the opportunity to transform. With an amused shake of her head, she let the thought go. “This is a very lovely place, I can see why you wanted to come.”

Charlie nodded in agreement. “I like to just drown my thoughts out sometimes in something other than music,” she laughed. “It’s super peaceful out here.” The woman closed her eyes, filling her lungs with the mountain air and the fresh smell of the icy water. “Can’t wait till winter. There’s an ice cave that forms in this canyon and it’s supposed to be really fun to climb and explore.”

“Sounds interesting...” Illusory didn't like the idea of ice so much; she could deal with cold just fine, but ice could do internal damage – not that Charlie needed to know that.

The femme stretched out on the ground, enjoying the sound of the water, even the light mist coating her frame. This new armor was taking some getting used to, it was thicker than her old armor making her whole frame a little less sensitive.

Scatterblade rested against a tree, likewise enjoying the moment to relax and just take in the world around him. “That does sound interesting. A bit on the dangerous side, considering how you’re warm blooded and all.”

Charlie laughed at the seeming non-sense of it. “Yeah well, humans do a lot of crazy things. Like skiing and snowboarding in the winter.”

Illusory pondered that for a while, taking into consideration all the things she knew of humans and their frailties and the damage she knew cold could do to them. “Why is that? Why endanger your lives when you do not need to?”

Charlie laughed a little. “It’s part of that stage that every human goes through. Well, at least every teenager. We get this idea into our heads that we are invincible. It’s such a rush to try new sports and if we fall we usually get back up.”

“What if...” Illusory began, then stopped, deciding her train of thought was inappropriate. “I suppose that is not a species exclusive trait – some 'bots live by the same theory.”

The mech of the group grinned. “Can’t say I disagree with Charlie, it's a stage.”

“I think it’s part of everyone’s growing up. I think once you see what can happen to you though, the urge to jump off tall objects becomes less appealing,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Somehow I think that may not apply to all...” Illusory said rather unenthusiastically. “I cannot claim that I have ever made an attempt at offlining myself for the sheer...fun...of it.”

Scatterblade sat forward placing his elbows on his knees to get a better look at the femme. “You’ve never done something outrageously, incredibly stupid as a sparkling?”

“No,” the femme answered flatly.

“I see your point,” he conceded leaning back against the tree, recalling some previous conversations.

Illusory vented softly, there were just some things she would never understand. “How long do you wish to stay here?”

Charlie sighed in contentment closing her eyes. “Just a few more minutes.”

“Very well.” The femme took the time to enjoy the sun warming her while the mist cooled her. It was such a relaxing feeling she found herself drifting towards recharge.

Scatterblade took this moment to collect his Pretender.

The three sat together in silence just listening to the water as it crashed on the rocks and continued on down the mountain.

A little bit later Charlie stood announcing she had enough of the cold, much to Scatterblade’s amusement.

Illusory was brought from the brink of recharge by the girl's announcement. “Oh, is it too cold for you?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “I may have lived here for the past year and half but that’s not nearly enough time to acclimate.”

“Do you wish to walk, or should I carry you down?” Illusory offered, concerned that maybe Charlie had become too cold and wouldn't be able to make the trip.

Charlie grinned at the offer, she wasn’t about to pass the opportunity up. “I would like a ride. Thanks.”

The femme quickly scooped up the human and turned for the path she had used to come up. “It may be a little rough, but it will be far quicker.”

Charlie hung tight as best she could as they began their decent.

Illusory made sure the human was safe against her as she made her way to the bottom. The moment they were in a good enough place, she transformed, dropping the girl into her passenger seat easily and directing heat into the passenger compartment.

The ride down was fun and Charlie enjoyed the rush of adrenalin that kicked in at the speed the femme could travel down the side of the cliff. Scatterblade chuckled at her excitement. Illusory had said it best; it was refreshing to see such amusement in the little things that they took for granted.

“Where to now?” The femme asked as she drifted onto solid pavement once more.

“Maybe inside,” Charlie suggested looking out her window and pointing to the darkening sky. “Looks like winter may come early this year. Check out the clouds coming in from the east.”

“Hn,” Illusory agreed, “where would you like to stay? Shall I acquire a rented lodging for the night?”

Charlie smirked, “I don’t think that’s really necessary. My grandpa has a cabin here in the canyon. He uses it during the summer but it’s stocked for the winter as well just in case the place does get snowed in. Let me call Jeff to let him know what we’re up to,” she said pulling out her cellphone.

“Very well.” Illusory took a leisure pace along the roads, enjoying the scenery while Charlie contacted her uncle.

Scatterblade gave a sound of amusement. ::That sounds like a fun idea. We'll get to see how primitive her idea of 'primitive' is.::

With approval from her uncle, Charlie quickly gave Illusory directions to the cabin. They were pulling up in front of the rustic lodge in a matter of minutes.

“This is it?” The femme asked.

Charlie nodded. The cabin sat on the side of a hill, a rock lined pathway leading to the door. There were trees everywhere, circling the property of a cleared away grassy meadow next to the cabin. A balcony from the second story had some french doors. Charlie knew there was a rocking chair that she could move to the balcony when she came inside. There was a light dusting of snow all over the side of the mountain.

Scatterblade transformed pushing himself to his feet to get a better look of the place. “Wow,” he said analyzing the tiny frozen particles falling from the sky.

Illusory allowed Charlie to get out before she also transformed. “This is very nice. Very...simple. I like it,” the femme took in the whole area with appreciation.

Charlie pulled her jacket closed against the chill wind blowing past, she was eager to get inside where it would be warm. Then, suddenly a thought crossed her mind. “I’m afraid that Grandpa doesn’t have a garage. Are you guys gonna be okay tonight?”

“We will be just fine,” Illusory assured her. “We are able to withstand much cooler temperatures than your kind.”

Scatterblade nodded in agreement.

Charlie smiled glad to hear that they would be alright. “I’ll set up inside and meet you back out here in a little bit. Could you bring a pile of wood on the porch? It’s out by the shed.”

The mech gave her a thumb’s up in acknowledgment. “Will do.”

Illusory nodded, spotting the shed a little ways in the distance. ::I just hope it does not snow too much,:: she commented to Scatterblade over a private com as she headed toward the building.

::Not too excited for it just yet?::

::Well, I am aware that my new armor is thicker, but I am unsure how much better it will protect my joints from freezing should the liquid get past it.::

::Yeah,:: he consented. ::Was sorta worrying about that myself.::

::Perhaps I will consult the humans meteorology reports and see if poor weather is on the way. Then we could be prepared.::

Scatterblade laughed over the line. ::They are almost always wrong, unless it’s a ‘here’s what’s happening now’ update. But you want to try, knock yourself out.::

As they reached the shed, Scatterblade reached down and picked up several logs in one of his hands.

Illusory connected quickly with the weather satellites, information instantly rushing her processor. She reached to grab some logs as well, but seemed to forget what she was doing mid way, reports about global weather consumed her for a moment, then she continued as she was. “It appears that no significant amounts of moisture is due to fall in this area for the next few cycles.”

Scatterblade vented in relief. “That’s great news,” he said setting the logs down where Charlie had asked. He leaned down peering into the house where he could see Charlie standing behind an open door reaching for something. When she revealed herself she was balancing blankets on her arm using her partial to keep it steady. She let them plop on the couch near the fireplace, then looked up and saw the mech. She smiled and waved with her right arm. She paused looking at it then laughed at the habitual gesture, despite the lack of full appendage. Scatterblade had to grin at her resilience.

Charlie walked out to bring the wood in.

“Do you need some help with that?” Scatterblade offered.

The woman was about to protest but remembered that she needed two hands to strike the matches. “Yeah, I might,” she said reluctantly.

Illusory sat near the porch, leaning against one wall of the cabin and produced her holoform to help move the wood inside. “What is the purpose of this particular building? Are there not more efficient structures that could be made?”

Charlie smiled at the question, Scatterblade beside her helping with the wood as well. “It’s like going back in time. We get to see how our ancestors lived. They had so little compared to what we have now. It was difficult but not impossible for them,” she explained. “It’s a similar answer to your last hiking question.”

“Hn,” she pondered the notion. “Humans are...unique.”

Scatterblade nodded his crooked grin fixed to his faceplates. “You got that right.” The mech helped the human light the fire.

Charlie made herself comfortable, sitting beside the hearth with a blanket wrapped around herself and staring into the flames. There were two things that could hypnotize her like this; fire and water. They always seemed so alive to her.

Illusory settled near Charlie to watch the fire burn. She had seen many fires in her life, but something about this controlled burn was charming.

The mech joined the two looking more at the them than the fire. Both were vastly different from each other; Charlie extremely laid back at times yet wise beyond her years, Illusory extremely formal but still able to let herself slip out on occasion. They both had tremendous strengths as well. The human seemed endlessly optimistic. The femme was fiercely loyal. They were strange compared right next to each other but if he stepped back a few paces he reveled in their friendship. In them he could see something he hadn't seen in a very long time; something more than just co-inhabitants of a single area, more than just cooperation, but a willingness to be companions and to care for one another. Earth certainly was a grand place.

 


	15. Event Fifteen

**Event Fifteen**

~

_Illusions are sometimes deceptions created to protect, and when those illusions are scattered...one may regret the hurt they cause and wish to bring back what has been destroyed._

_~_

As time passed, Illusory was content to find herself comfortable in this strange human structure; and outside of it as well. She could both stare at the fire burning within, and the sun setting outside; there was something almost poetic about the whole thing, but she wasn't thinking of anything at all so it was lost to her.

“You should eat,” she suddenly announced. “It has been a while since we left your current place of residence and, if I recall correctly, humans require several refuelings within a cycle.”

Charlie jumped a little, coming out of her reverie. She nodded in agreement, just now realizing the faint hunger pangs she was beginning to feel. “Yeah, I think there’s some food in the kitchen. I’ll go whip something up.” She stood, heading for the fridge. Opening it, she examining what was there until she found something that fit her desire.

She fumbled with the ingredients as she pulled them from the refrigerator and arranged them on the counter. Then she rearranged them again, and again in attempts to make it easier to complete the task. However, after several failed attempts to get through the process by herself she finally asked for help.

Illusory was quick to respond, having followed the girl to the kitchen interested to see the process of preparing sustenance by the strange aliens she was quickly growing to adore. “Tell me what you want done,” she asked.

Charlie sighed biting her lip wondering where to start. “I’m not the best cook in the world, but I think I want to make an omelet.” She instructed Illusory to cut up the ingredients and crack the eggs for her.

The femme did exactly as she was instructed, finding the whole process fascinating. “You have to go through this every time you wish to refuel?”

Charlie shrugged. “More or less. I can make whatever I want with the stuff I have, though I’m not too good at it. Just simple stuff. The only other option is fast food," she explained as she stirred the items in the pan.

“Whatever you want? How many different things does your species use to refuel?” She watched everything Charlie did closely, tempted to research the whole thing but deciding that asking questions and seeing the process was far more interesting.

Charlie laughed, “I think my grandma has some recipe books on the shelf there. It can list some of them a lot better than I can.”

Illusory found the books easily enough and started flipping through the pages quickly. “This is...amazing...” She grabbed another and searched it as well. “There are only a few varieties of energon...Ah don't quite understand why ya consume so many different things. Is there uh different quality of energy produced by different mixtures o' these things? Does each human require uh special mixture ta meet their system requirements?”

Charlie giggled at the strange change in the femme's speech, and her eagerness over something so simple as food. Then again, she'd never even considered that to an alien, this might seem odd. “This would be when a teacher pulls out the food pyramid.” She took a moment to compose herself, then explained the different components of the different areas of food types, and what they were needed for. She even managed to explain a little at the cellular level. She would have to be sure thank her past biology teachers for that one.

“If you know what it is your systems require, why not develop a more efficient means to process it?”

Charlie looked at her with mock puppy eyes complete with quivering lip. “But food tastes so good.”

“Taste?” She looked to Scatterblade with some confusion. Sure, energon came in different qualities, but taste was really a lost notion on her.

Scatterblade shrugged. He knew taste was a sense, and had a base idea of how it worked by watching humans, but he really had no clue as how to explain it.

“It’s another sense we have. Humans have five; touch, smell, hearing, seeing and tasting. Our tongues are used not only for talking but for detecting flavors.” Charlie said taking a crack at explaining.

“Only five?” Illusory thought of the way she had seen humans reacting with the world around them, she could place four of the five Charlie had mentioned, and she had explained taste – not that she really understood it farther than it was a way of processing – but the femme was sure the humans had to have more than those simple senses. “How do you determine proximity? Or temperature? Or acquire geographic coordinance? What about different levels of visual input? Surely you can at least read heat signatures?”

Charlie laughed loudly at the femme. “Wow. No. I don’t have very good eyes at night let alone see infrared. We have other tools that help us see that stuff.”

Illusory stared openly at the girl, stunned and disbelieving. “How..?” Scatterblade even saw this revelation as a surprise.

“You probably can’t tell unless you look closely, but my vision is actually really, really bad,” she said getting the finally cooked food onto a plate. “I wear contacts. Little plastic lenses I put on my eye to help me see better. The tools are kinda like that, except for the direct contact. We have binoculars that help us see far away objects, some that help us see in the dark, and another that helps us see heat signatures. We use a lot of computers and satellites to figure out where we are specifically. Or, some people that are more naturey know how to figure out where they are by the stars and things like that.”

The femme tried to imagine not being able to see like she saw, not being able to hear on different frequencies, to not instantly know when someone was approaching her...and couldn't. She considered for a moment shutting down systems to bring her to a similar lack of perception, but the idea was almost terrifying. “Yet your species thrives...” she mumbled.

Similar feelings spread out in Scatterblade’s processor.

Charlie simply shrugged at the astounded holoforms. “It is the way it is.”

Illusory let it all roll through her processor as she allowed the girl to eat in relative peace. ::They can adapt machinery to fit their needs,:: she mused to Scatterblade. ::Do you think, maybe, with our technology, and their adaptation...maybe her arm could be repaired with machinery?::

The mech blinked, staring at the femme’s holoform. ::Why didn’t I think of that?:: It wasn’t an accusation, just a simple, inspired statement. It was such a simple solution! Maybe it was because they were both still a little muddled in grief that they hadn’t thought of it in the first place. ::I don’t see why not.::

Pure hope and excitement flashed across the femme's face, her holoform fritzing as a million different things rushed into her processor all at once. ::Ah have ta get more information! Ah...Ah...Ratchet! He can help, can't he?”

Scatterblade tried not to laugh at the femme's excitement, but made no promises to rid himself of his grin. ::You’d have to ask him.:: He sent putting up his hands.

Charlie looked up from her food at the excited movements. “What’s up with you two?”

“Ah...” Illusory started, but paused. “Give me a moment.” She allowed her holoform to dissipate as she tried to compose herself. If she was going to approach the Autobot medic for help, she was going to have to know exactly what she was asking for. She began downloading everything she could find on human anatomy and its more complex operations.

It took Illusory several minutes of rapid downloading before she had the information she was looking for, and a few minutes past that before she could pull herself out of her download trance.

::Contracted Neutral Illusory to Autobot Chief Medical Officer Ratchet,:: she called out formally over a private line.

::Illusory?:: The medic responded immediately. ::Is something wrong?::

::No; however I have a proposition for you, if you would be willing to consider attempting repairs on a human.::

::What do you mean?::

::You were informed that my human companion had suffered from a damaged limb that was subsequently removed, correct?::

::Yes...::

::I have been inspired to do some research, and I believe that between the humans natural ability to adapt, their own biological research, our technology and know how, that she can be repaired.::

::Illusory, I thought I made it clear to you that humans are not so easy to fix. Their systems are fragile and they do not have the ability to simply...::

::According to their own research, they can,:: the femme interrupted a bit forcefully. She attached a file showing a human operating a mechanical arm that had been wired into his nervous system. The limb was clumsy and crude, but it worked. ::Would you be willing to make the attempt?::

::...it will take some time, I will talk to Wheeljack about it. Is the human willing?::

::Of course! Why would she not want to be repaired?::

::Humans can be quite sensitive about these things, Illusory. Contact me when you have discussed it with her.::

Scatterblade watched her reaction as he waited for her to finish her discussion with the CMO. He hoped that she would get an affirmative from the medic. Charlie was doing really well but he knew she had a long way to go. Seeing her struggle with something so basic as food, he hoped even more that the medic would say yes. The though of her continuing to struggle like this for the rest of her life was just demoralizing.

Illusory recreated her holoform and watched Charlie for a while before making any attempt at talking. “Charlie,” she began timidly, “if you were able to repair your arm, you would take that opportunity, correct?”

Charlie paused in letting the food reach her mouth. She looked up at her friend, puzzlement on her face as she answered. “There was nothing they could do with...what was left,” she said awkwardly. “Like I said before, I’m still deciding whether or not I want a prosthetic.”

“But, if it could be repaired?”

Charlie’s first response was a laugh. “I’m not going to search for my arm.”

Scatterblade shook his head, seeing that the two were not thinking on the same level yet. “No, she means literally repaired.”

Charlie cocked her head in thought. Repaired? What would a robot – sentient or not – think 'repaired' would mean? Illusory had been repaired, and her look was a bit different than before. They had to of replaced quite a few parts to make her whole again. “Like...a new arm?” She asked as if the sound of the phrase was foreign to her.

“Yes,” Illusory studied the girl closely as she spoke. “I have located some human medical research on such a development...and the Autobot medic Ratchet says that if you are willing, he would try.”

Charlie felt the strength in her arm flee and she rested it down, completely ignorant of the food on her fork falling to the ground. She stared at the floor, a quiet chuckle bubbling up. She nodded, though the expression on her face was unsure. “I would love to...try, at least.”

Scatterblade eyed her, unsure how to decipher her expression. “You sure?”

The woman sighed. “I want to be whole. I really do, I just...it’s exciting and...kinda unnerving,” she said staring at her right elbow where her forearm should have been.

“We will do nothing without your consent. It is simply...an option,” Illusory sounded a little disappointed, but was unwilling to give up her hope that she could help Charlie be whole again. “I cannot even guarantee that it will be successful, which I could understand if you wish to avoid such a disappointment. Not to mention that Ratchet seemed to believe that humans might be too fragile for the adaption, but I have seen video of your kind creating your own versions of these repairs, I can only assume that a properly trained medical officer in mechanical repairs would be able to make the already rough but functional designs far more practical...” The femme took a deep breath, holding the air for a moment to cool her systems and stall her rambling. “It is your decision in the end, and yours alone. I simply wish to help.”

Charlie took this in, rubbing her right arm absentmindedly. “I think I wanna try,” she said with a small grin that quickly grew to a firm smile and nodded her head. “I really do want to try.”

With a nod, and a grin of her own, Illusory sent a silent confirmation to Ratchet that the human was willing. “Then they will do their best,” she glanced at Scatterblade and thought of all they had done for her. They _would_ do their best.

The mech grinned. “Your family wouldn’t force you to go home,” he pointed out.

Charlie nodded her smile widening. “I’m kinda excited now! I can go back school...” she trailed off wanting to say more, but let the rest stand.

A soft twitter came from Illusory outside the house, a similar sound of happiness and excitement coming from her holoform. “It will take some time,” she warned. “I do not know all that will have to go into it. What shall we do until then?”

“Oh,” Chalrie sighed suddenly crestfallen. “My aunt and uncle. They’re gonna freak if I just disappear.” Before any could offer some kind of advice, the woman spoke again. “Ya, know, I’m an adult,” she said firmly, “I can take care of myself. They’ll just have to deal.” She smiled at the two, a firm determined look set on her face.

“Of course, it is the right of your age within your species subculture,” Illusory encouraged happily, though silently she thought that she would always be there to protect her from whatever she may need to fear.

Scatterblade nodded encouraging her desire for freedom.

Charlie finished the omelet, setting the plate on the coffee table. “I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Very well,” Illusory nodded to the girl, “have a good recharge cycle.”

Charlie laughed again, she was never going to get used to the oddness of her alien friends. “Good night to you two,” she said heading for the stairs.

After the human went to rest, Illusory began meandering around the house, investigating everything she could see and touch. “What do you suppose the purpose of this is?” She asked holding up an odd item she couldn't identify.

Scatterblade followed after her. “Whatcha got there?”

“I do not know, or I would not have asked,” she handed the item over to the mech. It was smallish, with an odd double cup like shape and grains trapped within that fell from one side to the other as it was tipped.

The mech snorted. “I know that, just didn’t see it,” he defended weakly taking a look at it. “You’re guess is as good as mine,” he shrugged.

“I wonder if it is for entertainment...” She tipped the thing and set it down to watch what happened. “Very...very...very low quality entertainment.”

Scatterblade stared at it for a moment. “Maybe I’m smarter than I give myself credit for,” he said suddenly as a thought struck him. “How long does it take for the sand to empty?” He asked after the last of the grains had fallen.

“A little more than three breems,” Illusory stated after a little calculation. “Do you think it might be a time device?” She turned it over to repeat the draining of the sand, counting the time a little more closely.

He nodded. “A very primitive means to do so,” he said indicating the clock on the wall as a comparison. “They have that too, so I think this is just an older type.”

“Hn.” The femme turned pointedly away from the item, a look of mild frustration on her face. “Humans are so very odd.”

“And your just making this comment now?” He asked trying not to laugh.

“It is an ongoing observation.” Venting a little, the femme looked around some more. “What should we do to pass the time?”

Scatterblade shrugged. “Maybe we could look around. It’d be good to know the area. It’d be fun to take a walk?” He suggested somewhat hopefully.

“That sounds pleasant,” Illusory agreed, her holoform vanishing as she stood outside. Some of her joints creaked with the semi-most chill setting into her them.

Scatterblade joined her, cycling the air to cool his heated system. He stared up through the trees at the sky.

“Of all the time I spent in space, I do not believe that I have ever seen such a magnificent view of it.” Illusory started moving deeper into the trees as she gazed up at the sky.

“It’s definitely new,” the mech agreed. “The humans are lucky to have such a planet. I was doing some research earlier, if this planet was any closer or farther from the sun it would be inhabitable by the life forms currently living here. It’s in the perfect spot.”

“That seems a little too perfect to be a coincidence, does it not?” The femme considered the chances. “Other organic planets have developed in rings of areas perfectly suited for the development of life, but here? To be so perfectly situated between life and barrenness? It is fascinating.”

“It’s definitely arsenal for the religiously minded, that’s for sure,” he said thinking of all the evidence that this one simple fact could give to the God fearing man.

“Hn,” the femme agreed.

“So, I was going to ask Jazz before but the timing was way off,” Scatterblade began, setting up his question, “How do you know Jazz?”

“He was one of my contacts,” Illusory stated as though it were very rehearsed.

“Sure, and Ironhide loved it when the guys painted his cannons pink,” the mech said flatly.

The femme paused in her walk. “They painted his cannons...pink?”

“I’m speculating on the color, but the twins switched polisher for paint,” he said flippantly, “But you’re dodging the question.”

“Jazz was...” she paused as her own memories came rushing back of times less pleasant. “When my town was rendered a casualty of war, I was left with nothing and no one to count on. I was near stasis from lack of energon, broken and shattered, roaming the ruins of my home. There was nothing for me but to give in and let my spark return to the Well of Allsparks; but then there was one 'bot that showed up out of no where. He took me to a quiet place hidden away from the paths of the warmongers and brought me back to some form of online. Told me that if I was going to survive, I had to learn how to make myself something more than just a whisper in the the wind. He showed me a few things, taught me how to look beneath the surface of things, led me to my first job and left me to either succeed and survive, or to fail and fade away.” She vented softly, the memories half sweet, half bitter, completely unwanted.

“I’m glad you had someone to count on,” Scatterblade said quietly. “At least a little bit. Sorry to bring it up.”

“It is only fair. If we are to work closely together, it is only proper you know where I have come from. It is simply habit to avoid the whole story. It was not beneficial for either of us if others were to find out we had any connection.”

The pair continued to talk about things; some less pleasant, some fantastic, all in attempts to really get to know one another on a more personal level. They had become friends during their time of sanctuary, but now they were comrades working together. They felt that they should know each other better than hide out companions.

. . .

Charlie rolled over once more. The hardwood floor was doing ‘wonders’ for her back. She creased her brow in confusion. Floor? She sat up and heard the rip of a zipper. She chuckled as last night came back to her. The sleeping bag was half open and her pillow was a foot away from where it should have been. The floor was cold where she had rolled so she pushed herself back to the warm spot. She lay there staring at the ceiling for a moment before rolling to her knees then to her feet.

Just as she was wrapping herself in a blanket she heard a knocking at the main door to the cabin. She jumped at the sound, there weren’t any cabins close by so who could possibly be calling on her? Confused, but intrigued she hurried down the stairs to the door and heaved it open.

Charlie’s sleepy face brightened as she recognized the figure standing on the porch. “Nate!” She immediately wrapped him in a hug. “What are you doing up here?”

She pulled away and waited for the answer. However it was delayed. Nate had an uncharacteristically serious and nervous look on his face. He looked down at Charlie’s arm. It had come uncovered when she hugged him and the sleeve of her shirt barely reached the stump. “Hey,” he said in greeting. “Glad to see you’re...doing well.”

Charlie was confused but suddenly it hit her. He hadn’t seen her since before she made that fateful trip to Salt Lake. She put on a brave smile. “It’s not as weird as it looks. Well, maybe it is, but I’m learning how to live with it.”

“How’d it happen?” He asked, an unfamiliar look still on his face.

“Come inside,” she said both wanting to explain and keep this quiet. She had noticed Scatterblade’s alt mode pressing closer to the front of the cabin in her peripheral, the last thing she needed was for Nate to see the vehicle moving on its own. “I’ll tell you inside.”

Once they reached the kitchen Charlie went straight to making hot chocolate. “Want any?”

He nodded. “I think I’ll help ya out.”

Charlie was thankful for the help. As they made their drinks she told him the story of the accident. She was a little surprised at how much it still bothered her to talk about it, and it was hard not to mention the fact that her 'friend' was the vehicle that had been smashed with her inside. “I’m thinking of getting a prosthetic. A really good one,” she announced when she finished.

“So, what? You’re gonna get a ton of loans to help pay for it?” Nate asked skeptically.

“I’m...still not sure about that just yet,” she said unsure if she could even fabricate a lie this early in the morning.

Illusory crept closer to the front of the house, her curiosity creeping up on her. She had recognized the human boy from before, but she worried over his sudden appearance. ::What do you think he is doing here?:: She asked Scatterblade as she prepared to form her holoform inside the house.

::He's her friend,:: the mech replied. ::Maybe he’s just checking in on her.::

::Hn.:: She wasn't sure if she felt comfortable with the simple explanation, but it seemed appropriate. Forming her holoform inside the house she quietly approached the two humans, not wanting to intrude in their conversation, but also curious as to what they were talking about.

::Just a few weeks ago I was the one suspicious of him,:: he sent to her before following after her with his holoform.

“I’m just glad you’re...doing ok,” he said not sure what to call her situation.

“Like I said, I’m doing better than I look,” she said shrugging. “So other than checking up on me why are you here?”

He shrugged in return, though he never lost the seriousness. “None of the guys at school knew where you went that night. We expected the worse when the school put the accident in the paper. They said they couldn’t find the driver. Who was you with?”

Illusory froze at the question. Another human that she would face the wrath of.

“Does it matter?” Charlie questioned back. “It wasn’t the driver’s fault. It was the drunk coming the other way.”

Nate huffed, “I know that. It’s just that...”

“What?” Charlie knew he was holding something back.

“I checked out the area after it happened. I talked to some people to see if they would release some photos or something about what happened,” he began though Charlie was quick to silence him.

“Creepy, a little lately?” She asked.

“It was for good reason. We didn’t know what happened to you,” Nate defended. “I saw something I've seen once before at the scene. Some kind of blue stuff all over the ground.”

“Blue stuff?” She raised her brow in question. What was that supposed to mean? Blue stuff? How descriptive.

“Yeah,” he said giving her a similarly mocking look. “It was the same stuff I saw a few years back when I was on vacation. I was on the freeway on my way to my cousin’s house when two -” he hesitated saying the next part of his story, but continued with a serious face, “-giant robots fell onto the ramp. There were a few wrecks and I only saw them as they fell but I-”

Charlie cut him off. “Nate, you okay? I know that the cold-”

“No. I’m not sick. I wasn’t when those things nearly killed me, either,” he snapped. “Other people saw them too, and then when that ‘viral’ video popped up with a robot’s face demanding some guy, I knew that it was real.”

“Nate you really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Charlie said shaking her head trying to save the ‘bots from being discovered, “and what does this story have to do with my accident?”

“That car you were in must have been one of them,” he said.

Illusory's holoform fritzed at the boy's words. He was right and, from his tone, he wasn't very happy. What would he do? Would Charlie be in danger? ::Scatterblade...what do we do? What should I do?:: She was scared, upset, and confused.

The mech vented, unsure what they should do. ::Should we let him in on it? He's already had experience with us, albeit not a very good one, but I can always beat the slag out of him if he takes it the wrong way.::

::But he's human...:: She twittered nervously, ::and he sounds rather unhappy. What if he is angry with me?::

::He’s angry at us all by the sound of it,:: Scatterblade told her. ::He may be a human but so’s Charlie.::

::Do you think he will harm her?::

::No,:: he said confidently, ::he won’t hurt her.::

Nate waited for Charlie’s answer, the longer she hesitated, the greater his resolve that all this really was exactly what he thought it was.

“Nate, I wish I could believe you, but do you realize how strange that sounds?”

“I know exactly how strange it sounds, but they're real and they’re dangerous. I just wanna make sure you don’t get yourself hurt anymore than you already are.”

“It wasn’t her fault!” Charlie fumed, unable to take the narrow-minded blame any longer.

“Who?” Nate asked, suspicion seeping in his tone.

::Oh slag,:: Scatterblade seethed.

Illusory couldn't listen anymore. She solidified her holoform and entered the room with the humans. “Me...and...it was my fault.” She looked between the two for a moment before fixing her eyes to the floor. “I was not paying proper attention.”

Nate looked up at the new addition to the room in shock. He recognized the girl easily enough, and she was as human looking as he and Charlie were; not the giant death robot he expected. “How did you survive?” He couldn't stop the question, seeing how uninjured the woman was and remembering the damage to the vehilce he had seen in the papers. “The driver’s side was...demolished.”

“I was...thrown,” she attempted to maintain the lie inspired by Charlie's uncle. “Picked up by another emergency vehicle and taken to a different infirmary.”

“Did _you_ know your car is a murderous machine?” He asked, refusing to let go of what he knew had to be true.

Cold guilt filled Illusory at Nate's simple statement. 'Murderous Machine'? Illusory had never offlined anyone in her life. She made a habit of running away, of hiding, not of destroying. Yes, she shot at other 'bots when it was necessary, but her weapons were for stun, burn, maybe even crippling, but not to offline. “No...” she attempted weakly.

“Hey,” Scatterblade jumped into the conversation his holoform coming in from the other room. “Just...cool it, kid.” It was an effort to remain his own cool in the face of this human's accusations.

“Mission City and all those casualties doesn't count?” Nate challenged.

“Kid,” Scatterblade growled. “Stop it. Now.”

Nate stood, confronting him despite the height difference. “You seem to be the only one who believes me. You know something?”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don't, but I'm not gonna let you upset anyone any further.”

Nate scrutinized the man. “I haven't met you. What is your name?”

“Jag,” he said more smoothly this time. “I'm a friend of Lu's.”

“I thought you said your name was Illusory?” The human asked looking around the mech's holoform to lock eyes with her.

“It is,” Illusory whispered softly. “My companions tend to shorten it.” Her mind was hardly on the current topic. She was thinking about what Nate claimed about a place called 'Mission City'. “How...many...” she mumbled uneasily. “How many casualties were there?”

“Rough estimate was fifty or so in the city. An entire base shortly before. Then there was Egypt,” he said grimly, “hard to say. Government's still tight lipped about it.”

“Can you stop running your mouth or is it in your genetics?” Scatterblade quipped, slowly losing what patience he had with this kid.

“Please stop, Nate,” Charlie spoke up getting in front of him, glaring him down. “You need to stop this. You came to check on me, not accuse my friends of something none of us knows anything about.”

“I’m not gonna deny what’s right in front of me,” Nate shot back though with more restraint, trying hard not to glance at her deformity. “I saw those...things hurt a lot of people, and endanger countless others. If you know what you’re car really is you best abandon it,” he added pointing to Illusory.

Startled by the suggestion, Illusory took a step back. Beyond the walls of the cabin her engine revved with her surprise. “Y-yeah, I suppose you may be right.” She turned to leave the house, not wanting to accidentally lose her holoform. “If you will excuse me, I will return later.”

Both Scatterblade and Charlie were surprised by her declaration.

“Illusory, wait,” Charlie ran after her.

“Now look what you did,” the mech grumbled about to follow after the women but turned back to stare at the male human. “What is it your looking for? To tick everybody off or search for a fantasy?”

“It’s not fake,” Nate persisted, “I saw two of them fall and crush a van. An entire family was killed right in front of me. Do you know how terrifying it is to rush to the them and try everything you can think of to save them, and fail before you even get there?”

Scatterblade wanted to punch the whelp but stayed his hand. He glared at the human enraged by the demand. “Yes,” was all he said as he turned to follow the girls.

Despite her desire to simply get away from the accusations and the guilt, Illusory paused in her retreat just outside the door of the cabin at Charlie's call. She owed the girl that much at least. She kept up her holoform, despite her current emotional distress. “He is right,” she mumbled as Charlie joined her.

Charlie shook her head. “He doesn’t understand. He’s not right about you. Not about ‘Balde, either,” she said. “He’s...confused. Scared. He just doesn’t understand.”

“Do you know that for sure? What do you really know of us?” Illusory kept her voice from being as sharp as the grudge against her own kind, but it still had a slight bite to it. “The Great War has been going on so long...they've destroyed almost all of us; even our planet could not hold up to my species' destruction.” She vented harshly. “He is more right than he is even aware. Can you honestly accept the number of your kind my kind has destroyed?”

Charlie sighed deeply, her lips pursed as she looked away. “No, it’s a terrible terrible loss, but we’ve been wiping each other out for a few millenia. I may not know much more than Nate, but I’m not judging you. I’m not condemning you for actions that weren’t your own.”

“Maybe you should. You were almost offlined...” she shook her head. “There is no use going over it yet again. I suppose the way he is acting is the way I had expected you would have reacted, it is easier to accept his anger and accusations.”

“Well,” she started, “I’m about ready to kick him out. I know he’s my friend, but gosh! Is he territorial!” Charlie pulled in another breath holding her right arm in her left, “The past is past. There’s nothing that’s going to change it. That’s why God gives us tomorrow. We can start again.” She smiled, though it was weak in comparison to her usually chipper one.

“He only cares for you, do not fault him for his concerns. I will go for a while, spend some time with your friend and I will return after he has gone.” Illusory smiled at Charlie, it was sorrowful but honest, then her hologram vanished and she drove away.

Charlie sighed watching her go. “I swear I’m gonna rip his limbs off,” she said now angry and storming back to the cabin.

“Charlie,” Scatterblade followed her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Just try to calm down a little, okay?”

“Calm down?” she demanded angrily. “You were about ready to squash him. Don’t think I didn’t notice,” she said curtly, stopping his protest.

“I know that, but I don’t stay angry long,” he shrugged. “Let it go for now.”

She had reached the door and before Scatterblade could stop her she slammed it open. “You are a jerk,” she seethed at the man standing just inside. “Why the heck are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Being rude to Lu and making wild accusation,” she laughed hoping that so far she was making a convincing performance.

“I know what I saw,” Nate repeated now more calmly. “It was real and it was bad. I just want you to be okay, to know what you’re going up against.”

“Going up against?” Charlie gaped at him about to argue further but she sighed hard, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I think you need to leave,” she muttered.

Nate gaped at her, surprised by the order. “I just,” the look on her face cut him off. He glared back though not because he was angry at her; just at the situation. “Fine.”

He trudged down the steps, more angry at himself. He had upset his friend and made himself look like a fool. He was just so sure of what he had seen at the sight of the wreck. That blue liquid, slowly poisoning the ground had been so familiar. Scarily familiar. He had to make sure Charlie was going to be okay. He couldn’t just keep something like this to himself! Not when he had seen the evidence for himself. Why couldn’t Charlie, or her friend, Lu, understand? Frustrated he continued on to his car.

The femme hadn't gone far. She wanted to stay close in case Charlie needed her, but she went far enough to be completely engulfed in the quiet of the forest, wrapped in the cool air. In places like this, it was sometimes hard to believe that such things as the Great War were happening, that beings were being destroyed, that whole planets were ending. “Stupid war,” she grumbled miserably. Her anger with the factions flared, but it was hardly a shadow of what it had been. She was only angry that she couldn't argue back to Nate, to tell him he was wrong. They were dangerous, and now Charlie was involved with them. She wanted to believe that she could keep Charlie safe, but already she knew that she couldn't. Maybe if she were to leave the girl after she was repaired, she would be spared any further harm because of her kind, though the thought made her feel a little sick inside. Charlie was a friend, and one did not walk away from friends.

With another heavy vent, she turned back toward the cabin. She had to try to convince Nate that her alt mode wasn't a giant alien robot out to kill Charlie...how she was going to do that on the other hand, was the real question.

She arrived just as he was storming down the stairs, looking very angry and hardly paying attention to anything around him. Illusory waited for the boy, creating her holoform to lean against his car.

Nate pulled his keys out of his pockets and stopped. “Hey,” he said in a short greeting/farewell his tone flat when he noticed the woman.

“Hey,” she greeted in return. “May I please speak with you?” She made no effort to move from her spot on his car.

He opened his mouth to protest but ended up letting the breath out. “Sure,” he murmured. “It's not like I can do any more harm.”

“I have to say that I appreciate what you are trying to do for Charlie. She does not deserve what happened to her, but my...car...is not a robot bent on destroying things.” She sighed, feeling that it was practically impossible to do what she was trying to do. “It is just my car, nothing more. I am the one who took it to be repaired. You can talk to my...” she paused as she searched for the right word, “mechanic, if you so desire.”

He looked at her, the fire coming back to his eyes. “You’re positive?”

“Yes,” she said, a deep sound of regretful defeat in her voice. “I am as sure as I can be.”

Nate nodded, still not convinced but understanding that Illusory wouldn't be convinced otherwise either. “I gotta go,” he said opening the car door, “be careful on the road.”

“You believe me, right?” She asked hopefully.

The man paused. “Yeah, I believe you think what you're saying is true, but I also believe what I saw.”

“I can accept that. I hope to see you around, Nate. Charlie could use all the friends she has right now.” Illusory pushed off the car and took a few steps away. “I am in the process of finding a medic that can repair her arm. It will not be natural, but it will function like a natural arm. It may be a difficult transition. If you could be there for her, it would mean a lot.”

Nate looked at her puzzled by the confession. “Really? Wow.” He studied the woman carefully for a moment before deciding she was being sincere. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” He moved to get into the car but hopped back out. “Well, I am going now, but you know what I mean.” With that he closed the door and started the engine.

“You are a good friend, Nate,” she smiled before turning back to the cabin. “I will see you around.”

“Yeah,” he nodded his anger and frustration fading away, “See ya.”

 


	16. Event Sixteen

**Event Sixteen**

~

_Scatter the truth...create illusions..._

_~_

Illusory walked into the cabin, not bothering to open the door to do so. She went to look for Charlie hoping the human femme hadn't gone somewhere else.

Scatterblade looked up from his spot on the couch upon Illusory’s return. He gestured to the woman now sitting directly in front of the fire.

“I talked to Nate, he no longer believes that I am anything but a car and a girl,” she announced as a greeting. “He seems rather nice, just overly concerned.”

Charlie nodded absentmindedly. Taking a deep breath she turned from the fire and scooted away from the heat. Her face was pink from the flames being so close and it looked odd to see such a happy color on a face so distant.

“You okay?” Scatterblade asked.

Charlie shook her head, seemingly coming back from wherever her mind had been. “Yeah,” she assured them, “I”m fine.”

Illusory nodded, not quite believing the woman's statement, but not wanting to stress her any more. She sat on the couch next to Scatterblade, sighing softly. She was willing to take things as they were for the time being. Small steps reached better ends in the long run, and this was a small step.

The mech had his arm resting along the top of the couch. When the femme sat down he immediately let his arm fall...behind the couch. A reddish tint crept to his face in response to the emotions he suddenly felt – a small nuance programmed into his holoform that gave him more believability – but he wasn’t about to draw attention to it.

Charlie joined the two on the couch, sitting on the other side of Scatterblade.

“Where do you wish to go from here?” Illusory asked, wanting to give them something to talk about.

Charlie sighed. “Back to bed. And a hot spring,” she added wistfully. “No, the other way around.”

Scatterblade chuckled at her indecisiveness.

“Hmm,” Illusory pondered. “Is there such a place nearby?”

“There’s the Crystal Hot Springs. Back in Logan. But my grandpa has a hot tub out back,” Charlie grinned.

“Hn.” The femme nodded, not fully understanding what a 'hot tub' was, but willing to accept that Charlie knew what she was talking about.

Scatterblade voiced both the ‘bots question, “What’s a ‘hot tub’?”

“Come on,” Charlie said jumping to her feet, “I’ll show ya.” She raced out the back door and around the side of the house.

Scatterblade laughed, as he jumped up to give chase. “You coming?”

Illusory nodded, getting up to follow the human outside.

***

On the way back, Nate was nearly ramped by two sleek black cars. He honked at them angrily and kept an eye on his rear view. His eyes grew wide when he saw them turn off onto the old dirt road that lead to the Wall’s Cabin; where Charlie and her friends were staying. Pulling a hasty U-turn he sped back the way he had come.

***

When Scatterblade rounded the corner he saw Charlie struggling to the pull the cover off of the tub. It was empty and Charlie frowned. “It would take forever to fill it up.”

“Fill it with what?” The mech asked.

“Water,” Charlie sighed, “and then it would take twice as long because it has to heat up.”

“What is the purpose of such a thing?” Illusory examined the set up, her processor already figuring a way to speed up the process. “It would not take very long to heat the water, if that is what you wish.” Her holoform started messing with the water feed while her true form started moving around the building to aid in the heating process. However, as she started to move a ping struck her sensors. It was instant, and quickly vanished, but she knew better than to ignore such a presence. ::Scatterblade...:: she asked confusedly.

“It’s for relaxing,” Charlie said looking back at the two. She creased her brows at the look on the two ‘bots faces. “What?”

Scatterblade had a mix of subdued terror and rage on his holoform’s face. “Charlie get inside,” he said shortly. “Now.”

“Okay,” she said, confused though obedient.

::You received the blip too, then?:: Illusory instantly dampened her spark signature to hide herself. ::Should we move away, or stay and protect Charlie? What are they after?:: Her normal flight response was attempting to take control of the situation. She wasn't expecting anyone, so she had no business with anyone which meant she had no reason to be there for them, but if they were after Scatterblade she wouldn't leave him to face them alone. Or worse, what if they were after Charlie?

Scatterblade slammed his hand on the side of the tub his alt mode rumbling in anger. ::Me. I recognize them, they’re trying to take me back.:: His processors ran fast and hot trying to think of how to get out of this without anyone getting hurt. ::Stay with Charlie, I’ll take them deeper into the mountains.:: With that his holoform vanished and he stood to hurry into the trees.

::Wait! What if they catch you?:: Illusory was still torn between staying or going. Her systems whined with her rising stress.

Scatterblade rushed through the trees. ::By then I’ll be far enough away that Charlie will be safe. Then you can come save my aft.::

::Ah don't like this,:: she growled, but accepted that there wasn't much more she could do. ::Just...don't offline, okay?:: Charlie had to be her priority. She tucked herself as close to the cabin as she could, hoping that the coming Decepticons wouldn't look too closely for her, and at the same time sent her holoform inside the cabin to find Charlie.

::Don’t worry, haven’t done it yet. Don’t plan to,:: he ended the transmission so the 'Cons wouldn’t find the femme.

***

Charlie was down stairs in he basement pacing and looking up the stairs every so often.

“Charlie,” Illusory called as she found the human, “stay close.”

“What’s going on?” She asked with no small amount of fear. “Where’s ‘Blade?”

Illusory studied the girl for a moment, trying to decide what she should tell her. “There is no point in misleading you,” she sighed heavily even as her sensors picked up the approaching signatures. “There are some Decepticons coming this way, we believe they are after Scatterblade. He went to lead them away so that I can get you to safety. Then I will go back to assist him.”

Charlie felt panic rush her but she swallowed it back. “Let’s get out of here then. How close are they?”

“Too close for me to escape unnoticed at this point. I will wait until they have passed by and then we will go. Until then it is important to remain as calm and quiet as possible. If they detect us here and choose to attack...there is not much I can do.”

Charlie nodded in understanding as she tried to calm her suddenly racing heart and heavy breathing.

The roar of two engines split the silence that had fallen over the cabin and Charlie felt her knees weaken. She listened intently, waiting for the rumbling to pass.

Outside the two black cars stood, immediately charging into the trees after their intended target.

Charlie stifled a scream when she heard a loud crash from above them. She waited several moments before walking up the stairs.

“Quickly,” Illusory encouraged quietly. “I am at the door waiting for you.” Her holoform disappeared as she slid around to the front of the cabin, taking on her alt mode and opening her door for the girl. She was sure to keep her engine as quiet as she could in her growing distress.

Charlie pushed on the door and gasped at what she saw just beyond. A tree had fallen on the back side of the house. The kitchen was demolished but at lest her way to the door was free of debris.

Just as she darted for the door, she heard another engine. It wasn’t nearly as loud as before and she almost ran back down the stairs to hide. However, she stopped when she heard her name.

“Charlie!”

“Nate?” She breathed in disbelief. She ran outside and nearly crashed into him. “What are you doing here?” Her voice shook with panic; partially of what had just happened, and partially wondering how much Nate had just seen.

“Didn’t believe me my ass,” he said angrily. “I just saw two more of those damn things just level your house.”

“Keep quiet,” she snapped at him looking to see if the Decepticons were going to return. “We have to get out of here,” she said dragging him to the car.

“Hurry!” Illusory recreated her holoform coming around the door from the inside of the cabin. Her image reflected every ounce of her fear and concern. “There is not much time.” She ushered the humans forward, helping Charlie move Nate along. Internally she was cursing herself that the human had come back. Now she had two to protect, not just one.

“Go help him,” Charlie hissed to Illusory, taking over guiding the man. “Nate, get in your car let’s go.”

Nate didn’t argue opening the door for her and rushing to his spot. Charlie close the door behind her, leaning out the window to speak with Illusory's holoform again. “Go help him,” she repeated. “We’ll head back to salt lake. We'll be safe.”

Illusory hesitated for a moment. “Do you have your cell phone?”

Charlie pulled the device out of her pocket to prove she really did have it with her. “I practically sleep with it. Go,” she said with a brave smile. “Bring him back safe.”

“Contact me instantly if anything happens!” The femme only just remembered to have her holoform run to her alt mode before disabling it and rushing after Scatterblade and the Decepticons.

“Wait!” Nate shouted as he watched Illusory's car turn the wrong way. “Where's she going? She's going to get herself killed!”

“Don't worry about her, Nate. We need to get out of here.”

It only took a few more minutes of hesitation before he peeled away from the cabin going on and on about how he was right, but Charlie hardly heard a word of it. She kept her gaze fixed behind them, hoping her friends would be okay.

The path was easy to follow through the forest, the Decepticons made no effort to hide themselves as they pushed through the foliage. She wanted to tell the mech she was on her way, but for fear of her signal being detected she didn't. Her only hope of helping Scatterblade was to maintain the element of surprise. “Ah'm commin',” she whispered instead.

***

Scatterblade wove the 'Cons a path through the trees once he entered the forest, using the density to his advantage. He just needed to get far enough away from the cabin, then he’d beat the slag out of them.

Illusory found herself catching up quickly with the Decepticons. From the sounds of things, they hadn't caught Scatterblade yet. She slipped from their destructive path and made her way around them, searching for a good advantage over the two 'Cons.

Scatterblade kept a sensor on the two blibs as he went deeper and deeper into the forest. Once again he found himself climbing, but over the next rise was something he hadn’t expected to see; an old stone quarry lay before him. There was no where to hide, but at least it was dark. He worked his way around the edge keeping under the tree cover. Soon enough he could hear them approaching. They jumped out of the trees and slid down to the first level of the quarry.

Scatterblade knew he had to take them down, but how was still running through is processor.

Illusory came upon the quarry quite some time after the Decepticons had began searching the place for their target. She could hear them talking, but not what they were saying. Obviously they felt pretty confident in themselves.

No matter how she scanned, though, she could not spot Scatterblade. Surely a good sign. 'Now,' she questioned herself, 'what am I going to do?'

The moon was waxing from its full status and the mech made special care to stay out of its light. He stayed his ground waiting for the 'Cons to split. His chances were far better if he took them one on one verses taking them on at the same time. When they finally took separate paths, he waited until one came close enough for him to jump. Hoping he could dispatch the mech quickly, he readied his blades and waited.

Illusory took what opportunity she could, and when the two Decepticons took different routes, she followed the one closest to her, being extra careful to stay in the shadows. Moonlight was not her ally, reflecting off of her white armor like a beacon. A plan was building as she went. It was really more of a distraction than anything, but at the very least it would give Scatterblade a better chance.

She waited until the mech was far enough away from his partner that the other wouldn't be able to get to him quickly. Then shot at the ground just below the mech's feet starting a small avalanche of rocks, and then took another shot at the wall slightly above where the mech was tumbling in an attempt to pin him beneath the heavy stone.

Scatterblade almost lost the opportunity when the avalanche started, but jumped just in time. He landed on the 'Con that was fully distracted by watching his partner being covered in stone. The impact sent them tumbling to the floor of the quarry. He beat on the 'Con until they stopped rolling and used the momentum to flip to his feet.

The Con pulled himself up shooting at the ‘Bot as he moved.

Scatterblade dodged the blasts and jumped back in with a heavy blow from both swords, only to spin just out of the Con’s reach once more.

Illusory made her way carefully down to the pinned 'Con to make sure he would remain offline long enough for them to escape. She saw Scatterblade jump the second one and vented in relief even as she tried to keep an eye on them.

This Con seemed especially angry and the fight became strictly close combat. Scatterblade did his best to avoid the blows using the Con’s strength against him at times. He even got behind the mech at one point and stabbed the Con in the side, using the blade as leverage to keep himself in the Con’s blind spot.

The 'Con roared, enraged by the tactic, and rolled head first knocking Scatterblade from his safe spot, simultaneously leaving him one weapon short. Scatterblade prepared for another blow but the instead of striking out at him again, 'Con rushed him, picked him up, and threw him against the stone wall.

“They never said in how many pieces you had to come back in,” the 'Con growled picking up his weapon once more about to blow a hole in the 'Bot.

“No!” Illusory screamed before she even thought about it, her weapon discharging with just as much of her awareness. The blast struck the mech on his shoulder, burning through his armor but causing little serious damage.

Scatterblade used the distraction, and wall behind him to kick the 'Con. With his enemy down he lunged at him and drove the energon blade into the 'Con’s spark. Scatterblade vented heavily taking account of his injuries briefly. Several places had sparking wires and he walked with a slight limp from the impact with the wall, some energon lines were broken but his self repair processes were already fixing those.

He looked up at Illusory and hurried over to the pinned 'Con.

The femme looked a little shell shocked by the whole thing. “A-are ya okay?” She practically mumbled.

He cycled more air through his vents and nodded. “I will be,” he assured her. “He down and out?”

“Yeah,” she kicked a little at the rubble beneath her feet. “Ah was able ta activate his stasis mode.” Then she vented and collapsed into a sitting position. “Ah'm not built for this stuff!”

Scatterblade felt laughter over take him as he sat beside her. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But you make a good sidekick.”

She leaned against the mech, groaning miserably. “Sidekick? Hn...I don't know that the title exactly fits, but if I am able to help you then that is all that really matters.” She vented again. “We should locate the humans.”

Scatterblade nodded giving her a soft pat on the back. He got back to his feet, then paused. “Wait a klik, humans? Plural? Now who’s in on this?” He asked throwing his hands up in the air.

“Somebody spotted the Decepticons coming in as he was on his way home. I will give you two guesses as to who.” She stood beside him shaking her head. “I do not know if he really knows or not, but his suspicions are more deeply rooted now.”

“Oh frag,” the mech vented beginning the climb back up the quarry. “Two problems to worry about. We still gotta call this in so the humans can...clean up the mess.”

“Yes. I will contact Charlie, if you will contact the N.E.S.T. team.” She carefully followed the mech up the side of the quarry.

The mech nodded, continuing the climb. ::Ironhide, this is Scatterblade. Who do we contact about a clean up crew?:: He asked almost gleefully.

::Clean up?:: The mech's gruff voice sounded alarmed. ::What happened?::

Scatterblade paused, the time for putting things off had ended. ::Two 'Cons. They were looking for me. We’re all fine.::

::Why didn't you call for back up?:: He asked while sending a location request.

Illusory took the pause in Scatterblade's climb to connect to Charlie's cell phone number.

::I already have backup,:: he said smiling as he glanced at Illusory. ::She did well.::

::The...Illusory? She helped you? In battle?:: Ironhide sounded somewhere between absolutely dumbfounded and some state of complete disbelief.

::Distractions are just as good as actual fighting,:: Scatterblade defended, ::Not to mention she buried one in a pile of rubble.::

::I have to admit that surprises me more than just a little bit. A crew is currently on route to clean up. Are both 'Con's offline?::

::One is in stasis and the other is offline. We have to get back to Illusory’s charge,:: Scatterblade informed him.

::The human is unharmed, correct?:: The question was more of a statement, but protocol demanded he ask.

The mech vented frustrated. ::She’s fine,:: he assured Ironhide following the protocol as well. He hesitated telling the older mech about Nate. They didn’t need the extra trouble right now.

::Alright. The team will want to meet with you for a record, any damages to yourself or to Illusory, and a report on the human's involvement. The more you can put in a data packet and send out, the less they're going to bug you. Good job, kid.::

Scatterblade smiled to himself though groaned inwardly at the paperwork. These humans sure were a handful. ::Thanks. Understood.::

Nate helped Charlie into her aunt and uncle's house. The two headed down to the den to talk. Well, Nate wanted to talk. “You believe me now?”

“I’m worn out from this, okay? And my family’s asleep so keep it down,” she said rather harshly.

Nate gaped at her. “After all this you’re gonna deny it? You’re not a liar, Charlie.”

She glared at him not having an answer to his question. Seeming to come to her rescue, her phone rang. “Lu?” She answered, the ring tone having clearly defined who was calling. “Are you alright? Did you get to him?” She asked hurrying to the bathroom to make the conversation as private as she was able.

“Yes,” Illusory answered, relieved to hear the human's voice. “We are both functional. How about the two of you?” She noticed Scatterblade's glance, but made nothing of it at the moment.

“We just got back to my aunt and uncle’s house,” Charlie said. “We’re fine and Nate is jumping down my throat with questions. Hurry back and beat him up, please?”

“We will come as soon as we are able, but I cannot physically harm your friend. There would be little gained from such an exchange.”

“I was being sarcastic but okay, I understand. See you soon.”

“Soon,” she promised as Illusory disconnected from the line. “Charlie and Nate are safe back at her Aunt and Uncle's home. Nate is...full of questions.” She informed Scatterblade.

The mech turned to her. “At least they're safe. We’ll have to stay here for a while. Just to get the logistics of this mess out of the way.”

“What fun,” she mocked with empty humor. “I suppose it is all protocol.” She settled herself comfortably at the top of the quarry.

“Yup,” Scatterblade added just as emptily, taking a seat beside her. Scatterblade looked down at the two 'Cons. He shook his head, anger quickly resurfacing. It wasn't just anger for them. The 'Cons were there to take him back. It wasn’t going to stop. The experimentation wasn’t even vital to whatever plan Megatron had. It was just a vendetta for that Pit spawned scientist. Still, they were coming and if they had followed him this far, there was no saying how far they'd go.

Illusory studied the mech beside her, seeing the usual semi-jovial expression slipping for a moment. “What are you thinking about?”

Scatterblade jumped within himself. “Nothing happy,” he replied.

“That was apparent, but it is enough to concern you.” She was pressing, she knew, but a part of her knew she needed to, while another part simply wanted to because he was her friend.

Scatterblade vented heavily looking out over the dark quarry. “They’re still chasing me. For whatever reason, they’re still chasing me. I can’t stand feeling like some....hunted animal.”

“It is not a comforting thing to live with, no.” The femme scooted closer to the mech. “But at least as long as they are only chasing you, you still have the chance to escape them.”

He grinned putting an arm around her. “Look at you, being the optimist for a change.”

Leaning into him, Illusory laughed a little. “You may want to record the date and time; it may be a long time before it happens again.”

Scatterblade laughed out loud and hard. Once the laughter faded he realized his smile had not. He like that. It had been a while since he felt like this.

“If it was not for the fact there are two Decepticon frames laying beneath our feet, I would say this is a rather pleasant off-cycle.” The femme vented contentedly. “It still is acceptably nice, all things considered.”

The mech nodded. “Well said.”

The pair were allowed a decent amount of time to just enjoy the silence of the night and each other's company before they were disturbed.

“Now, ain't this uh lovely sight?” A familiar voice rang out as the mech belonging to it slipped from the shadows not far from them.

Illusory jumped, scrambling to her feet. “Ya son-of-uh-half-bit glitch!” She yelped as she spun to face the mech. “Jazz! How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that?!”

Jazz laughed at her reaction, waving a hand at her ire. “As long as ya act like that? Every time.”

“That is hardly professional,” another voice stated as the familiar crunching sounds of another mech making his way through the trees to their location stated.

“Eh, ya gotta know when ta lighten up, Prowler.”

Scatterblade jumped to his feet now overly conscious that his arm was injured, he held it behind his back. “Good to see you too,” Scatterblade deadpanned.

“A pleasure,” Prowl stated as he joined them, several humans trailing in behind him. “I assume Ironhide informed you of the reports you would be required to file?”

“Straight ta th' paperwork,” Jazz vented dramatically. “Why am Ah surprised?” He shook his head and headed for the edge of the quarry. “They're down there?”

Illusory nodded. “The one under the pile of rock is in stasis.”

“We never even got any warning with these two,” one of the humans stated sounding like he still didn't quite believe that there were two Decepticons laying at the bottom of the large hole in front of them. “What were they up to?”

“They are Decepticons,” Illusory growled with equal parts hate and well learned experience, “what do you think they were up to?”

“It was a recovery mission,” Scatterblade relented.

::You did not need to tell them that,:: Illusory chided over a private bond.

“What were they recovering?” Another human asked as the group fanned out over the area looking for any derbies.

“That will be determined in the formal filed reports,” Prowl interrupted any further questioning by the humans. “Now is not the time for redundant questions.”

“Snippy,” the first human laughed as he moved on.

“I’ll get those to you as soon as I can,” he nodded taking Illusory’s advice.

Prowl nodded, acknowledging Scatterblade before moving to join Jazz on the pile of rubble concealing the mech in stasis while the humans were currently rigging up their trucks to wench out the other frame.

“This is...disturbing,” the femme stated after watching the goings on for a few breems. “I am going to step away, I do not wish to see any more.”

The mech nodded. Sending a comm. to Jazz. ::Can we go now?::

Glancing up from his work at the bottom of the quarry, Jazz offered the younger mech a dismissive wave. ::Yeah, you two could probably use some recharge.:: The way he stated it seemed to imply he knew Illusory didn't want to be there. ::Send that data soon as ya can, we'll be in touch when we get all o' this cleaned up.::

::Already putting it together,:: he promised. “Come on,” he said leading Illusory away from the quarry.

The femme followed eagerly. “Sorry,” she mumbled after they had gone some distance. “You would think after vorns of living with the war, I would be more accustomed to these kinds of things.”

The mech shook his head. “Sometimes I wish I could feel remorse for it. Death in general. For both sides, but war does something to you. You’re lucky you are able to hang on the good old Golden days.”

“Nothing but ideals any more. I was hardly functioning before the Golden Age ended...though what I do recall from it was very different. I wish we could go back to that, more than anything.”

“Maybe that’s what can be done here with the humans. Maybe we can live here. Start all over again,” he sighed. “Though I guess it's not looking like it’s gonna happen with people like Nate around. They’re always gonna fear what they don’t know or can’t understand.”

“You cannot blame him for his fears. What he witnessed was nothing less than traumatic for him.” She vented mournfully. “I wish there were a way to change his mind, but I am afraid that if he were let on to who we really are, he would...become a liability that even the Autobots could not afford.”

Scatterblade vented in defeat. “He’s not gonna stop bothering Charlie about it, you know that right?” It wasn’t really a question.

“What do we do about that?” Illusory was at a loss for viable solutions. “Do we try to convince him he is wrong? Or do we try and show him that not all of us are bad?” She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. “He will not ever believe that.”

“I don’t know, I have half a mind to take him in the mountains show him what I am and make him swear to never say a word...but that would put off the wrong vibe,” he joked. “I don’t know what to do with him. It might just be easier to get Charlie to convince him that we’re not bad,” he added thoughtfully. “Hearing it from his own kind would do more than all of us combined.”

“You think so?” She didn't sound entirely convinced. “I am one of us, and even I do not always believe that we are not all bad.” Illusory vented with her frustration. “But, I think that may be our best option. I do not know if he has connected our holoforms with our respective selves yet, perhaps we can help Charlie convince him?”

“Maybe. Like I said, not the sharpest tool in the shed,” he said with a chuckle. “Whatever we do, it’s got to be to help Charlie. Not us.”

“That is all I am concerned about,” she admitted almost shamefully. “I do not care how it affects me, or you, or even the world, as long as it does not hurt Charlie.”

“We’re on the same page then.” The two walk in silence for a moment. “Worse comes to worse, we can drop him off at N.E.S.T.” He offered in a joking tone.

A bark of laughter escaped the femme before she could stop it. “Wouldn't that just be the cure-all?” She laughed a little more about the thought before shaking her head slightly. “Whatever happens, happens, I suppose. It is not the end of the world...well, not the end of this world at any rate.” They reached the road and Illusory quickly took on her alt mode and headed back for Charlie's aunt and uncle's place. “We should let Charlie choose.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed joining her on the road.

Illusory pulled up in front of the house and settled. ::I suppose they are probably in recharge by now,:: she suggested.

::Not too bad an idea for us,:: he agreed. ::We’ll just wait till the sun comes up.::

::Agreed.:: The femme was practically in recharge before the word was processed. She was exhausted.

Scatterblade chuckled and slowly drifted off himself.

***

When sunlight began to warm her frame, Illusory came online. It was pleasant at first; the warm sun, a cool breeze, the soft sounds of creatures beginning to stir. Then, for a brief moment she wasn't sure where she was. Her scanners flared searching for something familiar. There was Scatterblade, and the life signs of two familiar humans not far away. She began to settle as the previous nights happenings came back to her; and then she remembered what they might have to do this day and she decided that maybe she would pretend to be offline a little longer.

Charlie would never be able to find out how she did it but she accomplished her goal of shutting Nate up. She hadn’t realized it at the time with all the adrenalin pumping hard in her veins, but she was very tired, so instead of debating with the man all night long, she simply fell asleep.

When she awoke she found her head on a pillow and a blanket draped over her. She glanced at Nate who was slumped over in the Lazy Boy fast asleep.

Charlie was never the kind to wake up at the crack of dawn and today was no exception.

Nate, however, stirred from the recliner. He found a blanket covering him and he glanced around the unfamiliar room. He noticed Charlie and started. 'That’s right,' he reminded himself. 'Came to see Charlie.' It seemed strange to him that he had fallen asleep but he ignored the feeling and tried to doze off once more. The sleep never came back. He sighed staring at the red head as she slept. He started piecing together the events of the day before.

Why would Charlie lie to him? Thinking back and realizing that she wasn’t nearly as confused as she should have been. True she never actually saw the two monsters jump into the trees but the fact that they destroyed part of her family’s cabin should have been more than enough for her to know that something was up. He tried to be angry like he was last night, but he didn’t seem to have it in him. She looked unworried in her sleep about all that had happened. Absolutely everything; the car crash, the aliens, and his yelling at her. Part of him kicked himself to go apologize but another more arrogant part just wanted to stay mad. He sighed forcing himself to close his eyes and rest just for a few more minutes.

Illusory watched the sun climb into the sky, then decided that waiting probably wasn't going to make things any easier. ::Scatterblade? Are you online?:: She created her holoform standing beside herself and looked back to where the mech's alt mode rested.

::I am now,:: he seemed to mumble, the Bonneville shuddering some in the chill of the morning.

::Sorry, I did not mean to disturb you. I was just preparing to go check on Charlie.::

::Don’t be, I needed to get up anyway,:: he shrugged producing his holoform to do so. “Shall I join you?” His chipper self seemed restored from a good cycles rest.

“If you would be so kind,” she smiled before heading for the door.

The mech nodded and walked inside with her. He went to the stairs careful to not make much sound so that the people sleeping upstairs wouldn’t be disturbed.

When Scatterblade reached the den he saw Charlie lying on the couch. There were also two creatures he had only seen in passing on the internet laying near her. Both were dark in color, had four legs and a short tail. The coloring was similar to a tiger’s though the striping was not as pronounced. Both of the creatures lifted their heads at the approach of more people and the smallest one seemed like it was going to explode with energy.

“Hey Charlie,” Scatterblade greeted almost wary of the two creatures.

Charlie looked up and smiled. “Hey.” The dogs barked and Charlie quickly subdued the noise by petting them. “This is Maya, and this is Cosmo,” she introduced pointing first to the smaller of the two and then to the bigger.

“What...” Illusory began, than realized that humans would know what these creatures were, and if they were going to attempt to appear as nothing more than human, she shouldn't ask such a question, “lovely creatures,” she finished almost nervously.

“Boxers are my kind of dogs. So energetic,” Nate said moving from the chair to the floor to play with them. Both dogs eagerly obliged and tackled the man.

“Hn,” the femme agreed as she watched the oddity. She thought it odd that Nate should seem so comfortable with them there; after last night, she was sure that being in his presence again would be nothing short of a verbal war.

Illusory wasn’t far off, however. Nate was trying to distract himself from the fight that was building in him. They had all lied to him, he was sure of it now, and that was one thing he absolutely hated.

Charlie glanced at him knowing his actions for the distraction they were meant to be.

The femme sighed. “Nate, why did you return last night?” She really didn't like being quite so straightforward, but she knew something had to give somewhere.

He stroked Maya a few more times before answering. “Not a lot of people know how to find the Wall’s cabin. I got lost the first few times I came. It’s hard to find the right turn off from the highway. When those two black cars found it, I freaked out.”

Charlie tried not to grin. Nate had always been one of Charlie’s best friends, and it didn’t hurt that maybe she had a crush on him. Despite his horrible attitude toward her alien friends – even if he wasn't fully sure that they were aliens yet – she felt a small pang of excitement that he was worried for her.

“You followed them back?” Illusory had been hopeful that the boy had not seen the mechs, but she had the sinking sensation that there was little chance of that.

Nate nodded. He had followed them back but beyond that he never fully saw them again, “They were going really fast. I didn’t know a car could do that on such a tight road. I got glimpses and then they were gone. But it wasn’t two cars that ran into the trees,” Nate said looking at both the mech and femme holoforms.

::He saw them,:: she commed nervously to Scatterblade. “What did you see?” She tried to sound interested, maybe a little scared, but she could not keep the slight bite from her voice from the dwindling chances of making this human believe there were no such thing as giant robots running around.

Nate sighed morosely. “Just-- figures. I was more concerned with the tree that hit the cabin.”

Scatterblade’s eyes widened as his eyes shot to Charlie. “What happened?”

“A tree crushed the kitchen,” she said gloomily.

“But you look fine. Made it out okay?”

“Yup,” she said though not as happy as the mech thought she should have been. “Grandpa’s not gonna be happy.”

“Far worse damages could have happened,” Illusory mumbled.

Charlie grimaced giving a small nod.

“Damn right,” Nate agreed sharply. This earned him a glare from Charlie, but Nate was not detoured. “Where were you in all this?” He asked now the turning the tables on the two, pointing to Scatterblade specifically.

::That’s a good question,:: he growled more at the annoyance this man was becoming.

::Say you were...doing something human males do often...:: The femme sounded very frustrated not knowing human habits very well.

“I was off getting firewood,” he said thinking back to the logs they had burned while in the cabin.

“There was a wood pile by the side of the house,” Nate countered.

“I was replacing the one’s we’d burned,” Scatterblade shrugged. “Common courtesy right?”

Nate relented with a grunt. “So that’s why you went after him?” He asked Illusory.

“I was going to be sure he was all right. A tree fell on the cabin after all, we had no idea what might have happened to him.”

Nate glanced between all the faces, his hands still petting the dogs. He could have sworn he had heard Charlie say go help him. They may not have known where he was but they sure as heck knew what Jag, was doing and he was pretty sure it wasn't cutting wood.

He sighed frustratedly. It all sounded plausible enough, but what didn’t add up was the cars. “Where did those cars go?”

Scatterblade tried not to look at Illusory for answers. ::This kid needs to stop being so slagging perceptive.::

“What cars?” Illusory asked, almost challengingly. “We never saw any vehicles other than our own up there, and yours when you returned.”

Nate gaped now pulling himself to his feet. “Wait, come on! You acknowledged that I saw them! You didn’t see them? You didn’t hear them?”

“We heard a very old tree hit the cabin,” Charlie shrugged. “That’s really all I remember.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! I didn’t imagine them!”

“I am not saying that you did, I am simply saying that we do not know where these 'cars' went because we never saw them.”

“You didn’t see them?” He demanded again.

“No. I didn’t even hear the tree. I was too far off,” Scatterblade said. It was true enough after all. He had been too far away to hear the tree fall.

Nate growled in frustration and sat down in the Lazy Boy. “You know what, I’m gonna go home. I just wanted to see if you were okay,” he said to Charlie standing again. “I’ll...see ya around.”

Charlie sighed feeling that all this was really unfair. “Nate,” she called after him. He looked back at her trying to soften his features. She ran to him and gave him a tight hug. “I’m sorry you were part of this mess,” she mumbled. “Thanks for coming to see me,” she smiled.

Nate smiled back, though tiredly. “Bye.”

The dogs chased him upstairs as he took his leave.

“That went well...but I do not feel that it was right,” Illusory stated rather blandly once Charlie returned. “And I am sure it will not be the end of this.”

“Of course it wasn’t right. He may be off your scents but he’s never gonna let go of what he saw,” Charlie murmured dumping herself on the couch once more.

“It’s the best we have right now,” Scatterblade said.

“Do you believe we should have told him the truth?”

“Maybe,” Charlie said though she sounded unsure.

“I almost want to, but I have no idea if it will bring more harm than good,” the mech sighed.

Illusory vented, trying to process everything that was going on around her. “I do not believe we can simply tell him the truth and come out with pleasant results. I think that perhaps we would do better to...” she paused to think of the words she wanted to use, “break it to him gently.”

“Which part? That he was right about aliens on his planet? Or that we’re one of them?” Scatterblade asked with deep sarcasm.

“Yes,” the femme stated helpfully. “I think that perhaps one of us might need to approach him with the impression that maybe we believe him more than what we have previously let on. Perhaps Charlie? However, it must be done in such a way that he is not alarmed and becomes defensive. We need him to be receptive.”

Charlie nodded, happy to hear her friends trying to work this out. “I think I can make that work. I really hate lying to him, he’s been my best friend. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Illusory nodded. “I understand. We will follow your lead,” she looked to Scatterblade for his agreement.

The mech wasn’t smiling, particularly because the man ‘rubbed him the wrong way’, as the humans would say, but he nodded in agreement.

“Should we go after him then?” The femme asked, looking in the direction the man had gone.

“I think I should just call him. Talk to him alone, maybe? Go a for a walk and you can keep an eye and ear on us,” Charlie suggested, already grabbing her phone.

“Agreed,” the femme nodded.

“ I’ll call him, now.”

 


	17. Event Seventeen

**Event Seventeen**

~

_Within certain illusions are scattered truths. These truths are often more showing than any openly given truth. Look through the illusion and see what is scattered there, understand deeper things than what the surface offers._

_~_

“ Hello?” Came the distracted answer on the other side of the phone, apparently Nate was still driving.

“Hey, Nate, it’s Charlie.”

There was a sound of relief on the other end. “Hey, Chuckles.”

Charlie couldn’t help but laugh at the new name. “Chuckles? Really?”

“Meh, Chuck wasn’t annoying enough.”

“Okay,” Charlie laughed again. “Hey, I need to talk to you.”

There was a pause, before the man answered hesitantly. “About what?”

“About last night. I just...” she paused choosing her words carefully. The idea of slowly braking in her alien friends sounded great, but how was she actually supposed to do it? “Wanna go get some lunch?”

Nate’s reply didn’t come quickly, like perhaps he was trying to decide if there was more to her question – or maybe that she wasn't sure she could speak where she was – but when he did answer, he sounded chipper. “Yeah, sure.”

Charlie thanked him, agreeing to meet at a cafe downtown before they ended the brief call. She stared at her phone for a few minutes, wondering just what she was to say. Wondering how this would go. Could she really convince Nate that not all of the alien robots were bad?

“Shall I take you there?” Illusory offered, having listened to the conversation, entirely unaware of Charlie's rising concerns. “I suppose I would have to hide myself somewhere away from sight; he has already accused me of being...well, what I am, but no need to push it.”

“Thanks,” Charlie accepted with a nod. “You can even park down the street. There's plenty of street side parking, though I guess that's not your idea of a good time...”

“We can both go,” Scatterblade said with a positive air. “I’ll stay at one end, you on the other,” he told Illusory. “That way, if things happen to go wrong, we're ready.”

“We have a plan then,” Illusory stated. “Whenever you are prepared,” she indicated that Charlie should head out.

“I’m ready,” she said throwing her purse over her shoulder.

Scatterblade nodded and his holoform disappeared and reappeared at the top of the stairs. Illusory's dissipated all together, her engine rumbled to life as she prepared to go. Scatterblade walked with Charlie outside and made the show of getting into his alt mode after Charlie was safely with Illusory.

The trio made it to their destination quickly enough and took their places. The femme settled into her position with a little unease. She liked the idea of knowing more humans, of having them trust her, but the previous night had given her a very real shock. She had to protect the humans from her own kind; sure the Autobots would do the best they could not to harm the humans, but the Decepticons didn't care, which meant that the chances of the humans coming to harm when they were around 'bots was uncomfortably high. ::Is this really the right thing to do?:: She asked Scatterblade.

::I don’t know,:: he was unusually snarky-comment free at the moment. ::We’ll have to wait and see.::

Inside Charlie took a seat on one of the plush chairs in the corner of the cafe. Several patrons were stealing glances her way and she tried to ignore them. At one point she wanted to cross her eyes and stick her tongue out at one particularly annoying man who kept looking at her as she sipped from her hot chocolate. At least then he'd have a reason to look at her.

Just as she was about to act on her desires, the door opened and a familiar body walked through. She smiled widely and waved to Nate, gesturing that he should come sit with her – quickly.

The limp jacket sleeve on Charlie's right arm wove in the air like a battle flag and it hurt Nate to see, but he smiled back and joined her in the small corner. He refused to give her looks like the other people in the cafe were doing. Charlie was his friend, and though she might be a little different, it wasn't her missing arm that made her that way.

“Where’s your friends?” He asked as he sat down, giving a pointed look around.

“Out and about,” Charlie shrugged. “Gave me a ride and dropped me off here to meet with you.”

He felt a flare of anger. “They left you here?”

“I asked them to,” Charlie said slowly, as if attempting to sooth a wild beast. “Besides, hate to coup them up all day in the house with a pregnant woman,” she added with a chuckle.

Nate nodded repentant of his outburst. “So...” he mumbled, wanting to get to the reason they were meeting, but at the same time not really wanting to push. Charlie had called him, she had to be the one to start this.

“So...” Charlie said back, still unsure of where to begin. “I didn’t want to look like a geek in front of the others, but i think I believe you. A little,” she added hastily, lifting her hand with barely gaped fingers to show just how little she meant. She had to make it look like she was skeptical and wanting to believe. So far it looked like she was doing pretty well.

“Believe what? Last night or all of it?” Nate felt disbelief rolling inside him. Was she here to make fun of him? To see just how far he would carry this out? Or did she really have an inkling of belief in there somewhere?

“I don’t think I’ve told this to many people but I believe in the paranormal. Ghosts, aliens, stuff that can’t really be explained. I don’t know what you saw, but I don’t think that tree fell all itself. It was a big healthy tree...and it's been there for as long as I can remember.”

Nate looked at her with growing skepticism. “Really? Why lie?”

“I didn’t see it. I was scared,” thinking quickly while keeping her act going was proving difficult, but she had a thought. With subdued curiosity in her voice, she pushed on. “Did you see them? What they looked like?”

Nate thought back to it. They looked similar to the two things he had seen on the highway a few years back. “They’re were very big,” he started tentatively, looking at Charlie and waiting for her judgment.

“No duh,” Charlie joked.

He rolled his eyes. At least she wasn't treating him like a crazy person...yet. “Keep it up, Chuckles.” He took a breath and forged on, deciding he had better get it all out now when she was willing to listen. “It was like they walked out of a demented version of the _Iron Giant_ , or something.”

Charlie paused thinking carefully on it. She could see how that relation would make sense. “You think...maybe they’re like the Iron Giant?”

He cocked an eyebrow, his own curiosity raising now. That wasn't the kind of question he had expected from her. “With weapons as dangerous as the big guy? Heck yeah.”

The woman sighed, shaking her head. That wasn't what she had been hoping for. “What if some of them were nice? How cool would that be?” She asked wistfully.

Nate shook his head, sure that wasn't possible. “That was a movie, and if it were real I‘m pretty sure most conquering species with heavy weaponry like that don’t have peace in mind.”

“The U.S. has heavy weaponry and we use it for ‘peace’ all the time,” she said putting quote around the word 'peace'. “I learned a long time ago to not judge someone because a few actions. You never know the whole story. I don’t know you’re whole story with these metal men, but I’m trying to believe you.”

Nate softened considerably at her words. She was right, he was being skeptical of her when she was reaching out to him. “Thanks.”

They were silent for a moment giving Charlie time to drink her hot chocolate.

“It would be awesome,” Nate finally said with a sad look on his face. “Maybe if I hadn’t seen what I saw...” He really pondered about it. What would he have thought if he had seen those robots _not_ killing people? It was almost impossible for him to imagine.

Nate sighed. “It was...horrifying, and awe inspiring at the same time. They were just beating the crap out of each other. Well, I take that back, one was beating the tar out of the other. Like giant rock ’em sock ’em robots,” he said with a straight face.

Charlie choked on her hot chocolate and both of them burst out laughing at the image just described.

From outside, the two 'bots had been eavesdropping on the conversation, and they were excited that that things seemed to be turning in a positive direction.

::What are 'rock'em sock'em robots'?:: Illusory asked Scatterblade hopefully. Maybe that was something friendly that they could use to help the boy become more accustomed to them.

The mech was silent for a moment, then sent her a small data pack with pictures and a short video of the toys.

::We are nothing like that!:: The femme huffed indignantly. ::Uneducated organic mutation...::

Scatterblade had already been laughing at the strange source of entertainment that these toys were, combined with the reference to themselves. Illusory’s reaction only added fuel to the flames.

Inside, the conversation turned to less out of this world things, to more friendly topics. Nate had asked Charlie how her arm was doing. She was optimistic, saying that it didn’t hurt much anymore.

“It just feels weird not feeling anything there,” she said waving her left hand over the area where her right arm should have been.

“Did you ever find out what happened to the other driver?”

Charlie was silent for a moment, remembering the news and how it had affected her. “Found out a few days ago,” she said quietly. “She was wasted. Poor woman. She didn’t survive. Normally when you’re that drunk the fact that you tend not to tense gives you less injuries but she went into a coma. Never woke from it.”

Nate shook his head in remorse.

Illusory's anger flared, at the mention of the other driver, then slowly sank as she realized that the human that had caused Charlie her injury was gone; that she had paid as much as she could pay for her actions and there was nothing more to it. The femme hadn't really wished the human offlined, despite what she may have said, and to hear that she was gone made her a little sad. All life was special and she hated thinking any of it taken away like that. ::Cause and effect. Hardly fair, but irrefutable.:: She stated as if it were nothing more than a scientific fact. It was her fail-safe to dealing with things she didn't like; to look at them from the most logical, factual point of view possible. It didn't always make it better, but it helped her move past.

::Show a little remorse, huh?:: Scatterblade chastened. ::Don’t go starting to sound like Prowl. Primus knows the Universe only needs one of him.::

::I am saddened the human was deactivated,:: she responded emptily. ::However, there is nothing I can do to fix that now...and I do NOT sound like Prowl!:: Her last statement was decidedly more alive than the rest of her immediate conversation.

'Could have fooled me,' he thought bemusedly to himself. He went back to eavesdropping.

Nate sighed at the news. “That’s a shame.”

“Death is a part of life. Maybe she wouldn’t have been able to handle it. To see her actions change my life,” Charlie said swirling the hot chocolate absentmindedly. “Maybe this was kinder to her.”

Their conversation died, but neither one was about to end the meeting. They were good friends – despite a few disagreements here and there – and they enjoyed just being in each other's company.

Charlie finally looked her friend in the eye, she couldn't just leave him thinking she was humoring him any longer. “I believe you Nate. I don’t think I want to believe that they’re all bad, there’s good in everyone. I’m holding on tight to that belief.”

“I know you will,” he said, tired relief in his voice.

Illusory listened carefully, waiting for any clue to act in any way what-so-ever.

::Scatterblade, how's that report comin'?:: Jazz commed seemingly out of the blue.

::It’s...coming,:: he said lamely, then he amended his statement. ::Its shouldn’t take long to finish. I’ll send it when I’m done,:: he assured him.

::Ya might wanna make it pretty quick; Prowler ain't one ta wait patiently fer paperwork,:: the mech warned.

::I hear ya,:: he replied. ::Had time to work on it last night. It’ll be done soon.::

::Understood.:: Jazz signed off the comm.

Nate glanced out the window and he seemed to space out for a moment or two. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. With the first time, it seemed just like a random attack. One area, not that big a deal. But then, there were all kinds of reports everywhere. What are they doing here?” He finally asked turning back to Charlie.

She shrugged. She had wondered that herself but had never really asked. She would almost forget her friends were aliens when she was with them. Charlie knew there was a conflict, something Illusory and Scatterblade both were running from, but she never really asked them what had brought them all to Earth. It had just never seemed important.

Illusory was suddenly brought out of her focused eavesdropping when she felt something scratch against her window. Her sensors jumped to life finding a human male standing beside her passenger's side window, shoving a thin bit of metal between the window glass and her door frame. It was an annoyance at worst, but she had no idea what the human was doing. She observed the man for some time while he continued to dig around with his metal rod.

“Maybe they just want a new home or...” Charlie paused, her thoughts fleeing from her in an instant. Something outside the window had caught her eye attention, and the more she focused on it, the less she was able to bring back her train of thought.

She had purposefully put herself in a place where she could see Illusory. She hadn’t really had a reason for it but now she was glad she had. At first she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. People were busily walking by and it seemed normal enough for some to stop. After a few precious seconds had passed, she realized that a man had stopped by Illusory...and was trying to break into her!

At first Charlie was frozen and stared wide eyed in shock. Why was Illusory letting him do that? She could stop him...couldn't she? Then again, the odd femme seemed not to understand a lot of things, did she even know what he was trying to do?

Nate seemed unaware while he scoffed at her answer. “Why trash their ‘new home’? It doesn’t much make sense that way, but I...guess...” The almost panicked look on Charlie's face stopped him short. “Are you okay?”

“He’s trying to...break in...” she said horrified, still paralyzed by the mere idea of it.

“What?” Nate turned around in his chair to see what Charlie was seeing.

Illusory was trying to decide exactly what it was she should do, when the man became frustrated and produced a small hammer with one pointed end from the bag he had dropped beside her. People walking by seemed to think nothing of the man and his efforts, his confidence alone must have meant that was his car, right? He brought the pointed end down hard against her window, shattering the glass.

“Ow!” The femme shouted reflexively.

The man stopped for a moment, looking inside the car for whomever had spoken, but not seeing anyone, proceeded to try and wrench the door open.

Illusory held her door shut firmly, though she still wasn't sure what she should do.

Both Nate and Charlie saw the window shatter but Charlie shot to her feet first. She left her bag, entirely forgetting it was there in her rush to help her friend. Thankfully Nate thought to grab it as he scrambled after her.

Charlie marched up to the car staying on the opposite side of it, not wanting to give the man a change to attack her too. “Hey!” She barked glaring the man down.

With someone finally confronting him, the man grabbed his things and turned tail. Some people made half hearted attempts at catching him, but he slipped away easily.

Scatterblade was half tempted to peal out after him. He hadn’t seen him break Illusory's window from where he was on the other end of the street, but he had seen Charlie run out where Illusory was parked, and he had immediately noticed the aftermath. ::Are you okay?:: He commed her just about the same time Charlie had moved around to the broken window and whispered the same thing. The woman made it look like she was muttering for the loss of the window.

“Ah'm fine,” the femme growled without thinking. The loss of the window really just stung, there was no serious damage.

Nate started, looking around for Illusory. He could have sworn he heard her voice. He looked to Charlie questioningly.

She looked at him with a worry at first then she schooled her look to one to match his. “What?” she asked.

“I could have sworn...” Nate shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “I thought heard Lu.”

The femme hastily formed her holoform on the opposite side of the car while Nate was looking away. “I am here,” she mumbled.

He looked back confused. He shook his head again, sure that he was going insane. His eyes had been playing tricks on him nearly all day. “That sucks big time,” he said gesturing to the window. “Gonna be a pain to get it replaced.”

“You have no idea,” Scatterblade said as he walked up behind the two humans.

“Ratchet is not going to be pleased at all,” the femme agreed.

“Ratchet?” Nate chuckled. “Fun name for a mechanic.”

“'Fun' is not exactly the word I would use to describe him,” Illusory sighed, her frame shivered slightly with her repressed urge to vent. “He is going to lock me up for this, I am sure of it,” she grumbled miserably.

“Lock you up?” Nate was now utterly confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, I...uh...” Illusory floundered realizing her mistake. “It is just that he is the one that did all of the repairs before and he will not be pleased at all that I have been...that my vehicle has been damaged again so soon.”

Nate chuckled, though his face still held the confusion, “Oookay.”

“Maybe we should head back to my aunt and uncle’s house,” Charlie suggested.

“I hate to disturb your lunch.” The femme stated ernestly.

“Well, why don’t we see you back at the house then? Nate can bring me back.”

“You sure?” The mech asked, still not entirely sure he wanted to leave Charlie with the man.

Charlie nodded. “Sound good to you?” She asked Illusory.

“That is acceptable. Contact me if you need anything.” The femme consciously made a show of getting into the car before starting her motor.

“I will,” she nodded.

Scatterblade also walked back to his car offering a congenial wave in parting.

Nate raised an eyebrow at the pair going their separate ways. “Wow. They never heard of carpooling?”

Charlie chuckled. “They’re kinda new for each other.”

“Really?” Nate looked surprised, “I would have thought they were dating or something.”

“Dating?” Charlie laughed at the thought. Did alien robots 'date'? “I don’t know about that.”

“ Aw, come on. Can’t friends like each other a little more than just friends?”

‘Is that an invite?’ She wanted to ask, however she wasn’t _that_ bold. “I guess,” she said trying hard to hide the blush coming to her face. Thankfully the cold made her face plenty red enough without drawing suspicion.

“Shall we get something to eat?” He asked waving his hand back to the cafe. “After all, we were supposed to be getting lunch.”

“We shall,” Charlie grinned walking toward the door.

***

Illusory drove away, probably a little faster than she should. ::What in Primus's name was that human thinking?:: She snarled angrily, not really talking to Scatterblade, but needing to vent to someone. ::What was the point?::

::Sadly, I’ve seen it happen before. They usually steal a car for the parts or to drive it like it’s theirs.:: Scatterblade said a touch of anger in his voice as well. ::Sorry I didn’t see it.:: He added regretfully. He was charged with protecting her and he had let the simplest thing slip.

Venting, the femme found a good place to park where she could assess the damage a little better. ::There are laws against such things.::

::Of course there are,:: Scatterblade said joining her, ::but it really only helps if the guy is arrested. He ran off before we could stop him.::

::Well, at least Nate no longer seemed upset with us. It is a start.:: Carefully she began picking up the glass bits that had fallen into her interior with her holoform. They could cause a hazard if she had to transform and they got into sensitive places. ::I suppose we just need to wait for them now.::

::I guess,:: the mech replied. A start, yes. A very vague start but Charlie didn’t need to shove everything down the man’s throat. Scatterblade produced his own holoform and began helping her with the glass.

“You do not care for the human male, do you?” The femme stated more than asked as they continued to remove glass from her interior.

Scatterblade didn’t know what to say. He didn’t _not_ care for the man. If he were ever in danger Scatterblade would help. However, she was right; in simple interactions he did not like the man. In the mech’s opinion the man needed to stop acting like a boy. “I don’t like the judgmental.”

“Hn,” she agreed absently. “Though, you cannot blame him for his opinion. His experience with our kind has been limited to rather traumatic experiences.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” he said softening a little. He had seen their species at its worst. “I just wish he could see us at our best.”

Illusory seemed like she had something to say to that, but stopped before she said anything. Once the glass was cleared, the femme sat back in the driver's seat and sighed heavily. “I should contact Ratchet...” she almost groaned. “Maybe I can just live with it.” She studied the missing window, honestly considering how troublesome it would be to just put up with it instead of contacting the Autobot medic.

Scatterblade understood her indecisiveness. A missing window was hardly the end of the world. “You can always make it look like there’s a window,” he suggested sitting in her passenger seat.

“That will work for the time being.” She adjusted her projectors and created the image of a window where the real one had once been.

“Besides, he can fix it when we take Charlie in.”

“Of...course...” the femme sighed heavily.

The mech sat up looking at her with concern. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am fine. I suppose I am just feeling a little anxious.”

“What about?”

“All of this.” The femme shrugged one shoulder. “Attempting to redirect the thoughts of the human, last night, my window, Charlie's possible repair...” She smiled a little. “I suppose I am not used to so many things going on at the same time; being a dealer in information is far simpler than this – gather, sell, repeat.”

Scatterblade chuckled softly, “Guess you’re just not used to chaos.”

“That is an understatement. I have always run from the chaos...but I cannot exactly run from all of this.”

“You could pull a page from my book; run head long into it. Not too smart though,” he admitted. “Takes some processor to figure how to balance everything,” he chuckled.

“Hn, maybe between the two of us we can find a proper balance.” She smiled again, this time a full and honest smile directed to the mech.

He smiled back, his customary grin right back where it belonged. “Yeah, we will. That much I can promise.”

***

Charlie leaned back in the seat staring out the window of Nate’s car, rubbing her right arm. The ride was short but she looked like she was in for a road trip by the time they arrived at the house.

“You okay?” Nate asked, putting the car into park and turning it off.

She shook herself from her distant thoughts. “Huh?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Just, singing a song in my head actually,” she laughed, trying to pass off her deep thoughts as simple distraction.

Nate raised an eyebrow, easily seeing through the lie.

“I was thinking about my arm,” she remedied. It was mostly true anyway. “It doesn’t seem all that weird any more. Not having it I mean. If I think too hard about it...it scares me, but when I just keep going forward, the shock lessens.”

Nate nodded, accepting her answer this time, though he didn’t understand what she was trying to convey very well. He got out of the car and opened the door for her.

Illusory was sitting on the hood of her alt mode and Scatterblade was laying out on the grass enjoying the view of the clouds when the pair arrived.

Charlie waved at them both as she climbed out of Nate's car.

“Welcome home,” Illusory offered when Charlie came close enough. She studied Nate, who stayed by his car, for a moment before turning back to Charlie. “I hope your afternoon was well enough.”

Nate was confused, his anger about everything fighting against the relief he felt at what Charlie told him. She had believed him. She didn’t think he was crazy. Still, something just didn't seem right.

Despite the stories he had heard from all three of them, the events of last night just didn't add up. He really wished she had seen something. He wished he had seen more than just figures himself.

“I enjoyed myself.” Charlie looked back to Nate, hoping that everything was going to turn out alright.

The young man was snapped from his musings and gave a rather fake smile.

“Good,” the femme smiled. She noticed the ill-ease around Nate. “I hope you are feeling at least a little better now?” There was so much more she wanted to say, wanted to ask, but she knew better than to push her luck so soon.

“Better?” Nate questioned not sure what the woman was getting at. Honestly, he was just too tired to think about this anymore. “Yeah. A little.”

Illusory nodded. “I am pleased to hear that.”

“Let’s head out back. I don’t wanna go inside right now,” Charlie said suddenly, leading the group into the back yard through the gate. Settling herself on the picnic table underneath a tree that grew over the fence she smiled happily. The leaves were almost gone this time of year, but a few held stubbornly, refusing to relent to winter just yet.

Illusory spent a few moments considering the fallen leaves and the trees that had dropped them. “Such a strange occurrence,” she mumbled at the phenomenon as she pushed her foot through a small pile of the dried leaves.

Charlie smiled at the simple action. Illusory was a lot like a child, new to so much of their world and she found it endearing. “I like it here. Never got a lot of colors in Cali. Just sun and sand, surf and palms. Then there was the desert, which was pretty bland too.”

“Hey, Utah’s a desert too,” Nate joined in, trying to let his discomfort slide and just enjoy the gathering. “Just a higher, more cultivated desert.”

“Why are we talking about deserts?” Scatterblade asked sitting on the back porch to the house.

“Because I can,” Charlie stated as if that alone would win the argument. “You got a better conversation topic let’s hear it.”

Both of the guys chuckled at this. Scatterblade thinking that there were better topics to cover, though maybe not right that moment, and Nate feeling relieved to see the feisty wit of his friend returned.

“Deserts are an interesting development of their own. It is simply a place with little to no precipitation; a place of perpetual drought. I have seen quite a few deserts in my life,” the femme paused realizing that more than half of the places she had seen truly were deserts by that description. “Hn,” she noted to herself, “interesting.”

Scatterblade nodded, following Illusory's quiet train of thought. “It’s a miracle this place is so green.”

“When the pioneers made their way west and settled here, it was pretty barren. But they made the desert flower with life. It was a miracle,” Nate agreed.

Illusory stared at Nate as if he had just told her that gravity did not apply. “They cultivated barren land?”

Nate laughed at her seriousness. “Oh trust me, it wasn’t easy, but they did rather well. I think the first winter they had in Salt Lake City was pretty mild. Some frosts killed some of the crops but other than that the settlers were doing well. Until the grasshoppers came.”

“Oh gosh,” Charlie groaned remembering the lessons about the plagues of grasshoppers. “It’s a good story but, man, do I have issues with it.”

“Let me finish. Anyway, tons of insects started eating all the crops and thousands of people were going to starve if they couldn’t get rid of them all. A lot of prayer went into trying to find a solution. Killing the bugs wasn’t working. Then little over a month later there came a huge amount of seagulls that swept in and ate all the insects. The people called it a miracle from God. The early pioneers had a lot of help making this land habitable.”

The femme seemed completely thrown by the story. “That is...” she shook her head slightly. “Insects?” She huffed a bit. “I will have to research this,” she grumbled as she found a comfortable place to sit.

“It’s a story from our ancestry,” Charlie said softly to the femme. “Not a lot of stuff on the internet gives it the respect it should have.”

“Did it really happen?” Scatterblade asked.

“I believe it did. There were many who wrote about it in their journals after it happened. We have their records and it’s good enough for me.” Charlie shrugged.

“Hn,” the femme accepted, though there was a clear expression of disbelief and determination on her face. She fully intended to research this event when she had a moment to do so.

“I never much liked the story as a kid,” Charlie said a mock pout on her face.

“Why’s that?” Both Scatterblade and Nate asked at the same time. They glanced at each other irritated that it had happened.

She ignored them both as she explained. “When I was little, we were doing skits for our state pioneer celebration or something. Each class had to do a story from Pioneer History and my class had the Miracle of the Seagulls, and I had to play the part of one of the grasshoppers.”

Nate laughed out loud but Charlie continued for Scatterblade and Illusory’s sake. “So I’m up on stage, seven years old, jumping up and down like a grasshopper and the seagulls come along and try to drag me off stage. I’m kicking and screaming like a banshee! My poor mother was so embarrassed and I was so mad I had to stay with my mom in the restroom so I wouldn’t interrupt the other skits. Lots of people ended up telling my mom it was one of their favorite parts of the night.”

“What is the point of such a performance?” Illusory asked unsurely.

“For the kids, it was fun,” Charlie explained. “It was a great teaching tool too. We’ve always been keen to remembering the past better when we act it out.”

“Not only that but Pioneer Day is a holiday,” Nate supplied. “It’s like the state’s birthday. “There's a lot we can learn from the past and it’s amazing how well the pioneers kept a good record of it.”

“I see.” Illusory fought the temptation to start searching for the information. “Well, what would you like to do for the rest of the day?”

“I think I’m going to head home,” Nate said, standing and stretching a little. “It’s a good three hour drive and I need to make sure I get some things taken care of for school.”  
Charlie frowned but nodded. “Be careful. It might have snowed up there.”

“Born and raised driving in the snow,” he assured her, “I’m always careful.”

“Are you sure?” Illusory couldn't help but to be concerned. “My understanding is that most vehicles do not perform well in snow.”

“I just changed my tires. I don’t think there were will be much up there anyway. And it’s not like I’ll be going through Logan Canyon. Don’t have to worry about slipping into the Bear River.”

“Just...be careful,” Scatterblade said almost begrudgingly.

Nate furrowed his brows in surprise toward the mech but nodded. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”

Illusory watched the young boy head for his vehicle. She felt a little uncomfortable letting him go alone, but what else could she do?

Charlie went to gate, biting the inside of her lip with indecision. She wanted so badly to ask him to stay but she couldn’t get the words to form. A few anxious seconds passed and he was in his car. Charlie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and waved goodbye. It was too late now.

When his car disappeared from sight, she groaned inwardly plopping herself roughly on the picnic table.

Scatterblade watched the woman's actions with confusion and concern. “You okay?” he asked slowly approaching Charlie.

She took a breath to answer but just let it out. “It’s silly. It’s nothing I can control anyway,” she mumbled.

“That does not make any sense,” Illusory stated as she watched Nate's car disappear out of her sensor range.

“What she’s thinking about or what she said?” Scatterblade couldn’t help the grin. He knew he was a little better at seeing human mannerisms and understanding the speech patterns but this seemed simple enough to him; though he wasn't sure if Illusory had caught on just yet.

“I can hardly know what she is thinking...” Illusory stated rather confused. She really didn't know how to read humans at all. They were just...confusing.

Charlie laughed, trying to cheer up her demeanor. “I can’t ever figure out how to tell someone...I like them,” she said softly.

“Like?” The femme pondered the term for a moment, referencing what data she had and came to a rather simple conclusion. “You wish to have a closer relationship with Nate?”

Charlie nodded her expression sad. “He’s taken though, so I guess it doesn't really matter what I want.”

Scatterblade frowned. Maybe he wasn’t entirely up to date on everything human. “Taken?”

Charlie sighed. For as much as she might like the naivety of her alien friends sometimes, she really hated it at other times. “He has a girlfriend.”

“Hn,” there were a few things Illusory could think to compare the term to. “If you have an interest in him, perhaps he also has an interest in you but is unaware of your desire to be more available to him. My understanding of organic companionship is that most will take what is available to them at the time.”

“Well, then maybe my timing sucks,” Charlie grumbled.

“No, I think Lu’s had a point,” the mech interjected. “Just let him know.”

“I can’t,” the woman said rubbing her right arm.

“Why not?”

She sighed again. “I missed my chance. He’s happy dating Bridget. I don't want to mess that up with my feelings.”

“Perhaps, but what harm can be caused to let him know your own feelings?” The femme shrugged. “If he his happy, that will not change.”

Charlie furrowed her brow in turmoil. Last time she had told someone she liked them they had said it back. It had been the most wonderful feeling to be wanted and liked by someone. It had al happened on a Friday. By the following Tuesday he had realized his mistake and told her he wasn’t ready for a girlfriend. He had plenty of reasons why it wouldn’t work; he was always so busy, there was a lot on his plate right now, he didn't think he could give her the attention she needed. Yet, within that same month he had a different girlfriend. That feeling had been horrible; like she had just been something to win and then tossed aside after claimed.

Yet, the femme still had a point. She had a habit of being sarcastic and perceived as rude to the men she crushed on. It was a fact she had become very aware of over the years. Maybe she needed a more...womanly...approach, instead of the tomgirl way she favored. “Yeah I guess,” she finally said, smiling to her alien friends. It almost struck her as funny that it took such an extreme outside view of things to get her to reconsider herself.

Illusory nodded as though that were the solution to the current issue. “I should probably contact Ratchet and see where he is in his research.” She sighed heavily at the thought. Granted, she was excited to have the opportunity to repair Charlie, but some part of her was not eager to chat with the medic. Perhaps it was because she knew she should tell him about her window, but a larger part just wanted to avoid that issue all together.

“That reminds me,” Scatterblade groaned realizing that he had work of his own to do. “I still have to make sure I got everything for that report. Jazz is gonna get pretty torqued at me if I don't get on it sooner than later.” He hated paperwork. He had not had to do it in such a long time that he had become rather rusty at the whole procedure, and he wasn’t too good at it in the first place. However, he swallowed his fears and got to work.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Illusory offered to them both before deactivating her holoform. It would be easier to focus without dividing her attention.

Scatterblade ran through his report a second time before sending if off to Prowl, hoping that it was through enough. He looked up and noticed that there was a storm on the horizon, the temperature was already dropping. “Want to go inside?”

Charlie shook her head, not really noticing the coming storm. “Wanna enjoy the sun while I can,” she smiled closing her eyes.

Steadying herself for the coming conversation, Illusory opened a link to the Autobot medic. ::Illusory to Chief Medical Officer Ratchet.::

::Illusory? Has something happened?::

::Is that always your assumption when someone contacts you? That something has happened?:: The femme almost snapped. She tried hard to keep her tone level.

::Well, I am a medic, most of the time someone is trying to reach me, something has happened. What is it you needed?::

::I was just contacting you to let you know that Charlie is accepting of the opportunity to repair her severed limb, and wished to see how your research on the subject was coming.::

::Well,:: the medic sounded pleased, ::the research is proving fruitful. It seems that human research on this subject is rather through. I suspect that I should have a working prototype within the next two Orns.::

::Two orns? Very well, we will report in at that time.::

::Wait, Illusory. Charlie may be your human...but she is not cleared to be on base.::

The femme was trapped between confusion, and some sort of anger at Charlie being referred to as 'hers'. ::What is that supposed to mean?::

::It means that she is going to have to go through the approval of her peoples government before we can do anything.::

::How are we to do that?::

::Major Lennox will make arrangements. He and Ironhide will come to you, make sure she is aware.::

::Ironhide...really...:: The femme vented hard. ::Very well.:: She recreated her holoform and went back to join her companions, a distinctly displeased look on her face. “I am to inform you, Charlie, that your government will require some form of arrangements to provide you clearance before we can take you to have your arm repaired.” The femme seemed completely put out by the whole idea, as if it were senseless. “Major Lennox and...his Autobot partner...will be coming to visit with you.”

Scatterblade tried hard to suppress his grin at Illusory’s reaction to the impending 'visitors'. Charlie on the other hand snapped her eyes open and cocked her head at the announcement. “Say what now?”

“In order to have your arm repaired, your government has to approve. I do not see why there should be any issues, you have already been exposed to Scatterblade and myself, I doubt they have any reason to be concerned with you coming in contact with others. Ratchet is already prepared to have a prototype within two orns...two weeks by best measurement of your time, but he can do nothing without your government's say so.” The femme leaned against the house, the sour look on her face not letting up any at all at Scatterblade's attempts to hide his amusement.

Charlie’s imagination spun nervously. “This better not end up like  _ Eagle Eye, _ ”  she muttered to herself. “Wow, I get to meet Area 51 people,” she chuckled in her very next breath, almost a complete opposite of her first statement. “I hope like heck I’m just being paranoid for no reason.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine. Lennox is a good man. He’ll keep you at ease,” Scatterblade reassured, remembering the human that had attempted to make their first 'stay' at the Nevadian base a little easier.

“Hn,” the femme grumbled. “I will not allow anything to happen to you,” she promised.

Charlie shook her head and forced a smile. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. Just a little nervous. You guys can be a little...” she chuckled, “overwhelming.”

Illusory nodded, accepting the explanation. “Indeed. I am sure you will be dealing with Major Lennox more than you will be with anyone else over the next few days.”

“Joy,” she said faking enthusiasm. “Military men.”

Scatterblade chuckled at her, rolling his eyes. He didn’t think he wanted to know where her references came from. He had spent most of his life in the military; he didn't understand what could possibly be so upsetting about 'military men'.

“My sentiments exactly,” Illusory mumbled.

Charlie sighed at the thought of what was to come. “I was thinking about last night. How do I explain the tree destroying the kitchen of the cabin? Or my disappearance to my family?”

“A storm?” Scatterblade provided rather quickly, “but I don’t have an answer for that last one.”

“Tell them you need an adjustment period of your own to decide what you wish to do with yourself. My research tells me it is a common reason for younger humans to separate from their familial groups for short periods of time.”

Charlie chuckled putting those words into her own. The outcome sounded rather unhelpful. “So I go on a relaxing vacation and come back with an arm? That’ll be interesting.”

Illusory shrugged. “Stranger things have occurred.”

“Guess I’ll just cross that bridge when I get there,” Charlie laughed.

“Another option would be to explain to them you have signed up for some new prosthetic testing and that you would be gone for a few days for testing. At least that is more truth than false.”

Both Scatterblade and Charlie nodded thinking this would be the perfect plan of action. Scatterblade found himself feeling rather thankful that the femme was quick on her feet with these kinds of things, but at the same time, found himself wondering how often she had to do just that to save her own skidplates.

 


	18. Event Eighteen

Event Eighteen

~

_All is as it is meant to be is a phrase formed within illusion. It is often shattered with so few words..._

~

 

A day was allowed to pass before there was a knock at Charlie's door. A tall man with dark brown hair stood proudly outside, his uniform well kept and pressed. The large black truck sitting on the road behind him looked entirely out of place in the residential area, but somehow managed to fit between the curbs without impeding traffic too much.

Jeff answered the door and blinked in surprise. “May I help you?” he asked guardedly.

“Hello, sir. I am Major William Lennox; I believe your niece is expecting me for an interview.”

“Yeah,” Jeff nodded, opening the door further. He immediately had to restrain the two boxers as they bounded for the new visitor. “Lauren! Could you help m with Cosmo and Maya?” he called.

His wife came in quickly and grabbed Maya by the collar. “Come on in,” she said with a bright smile. The couple left the major in the living room as they dragged the dogs outside.

Charlie appeared at the door as they left and smiled to the newcomer, offering a small wave. “Hi, are you Major Lennox?”

“Yes I am, and you must be Charlie. It is good to meet you.” He offered his left hand, being aware of her missing arm.

She smiled gratefully and shook it firmly. “Yeah. Nice to meet you too. You wanna sit in here?”

“Wherever you are most comfortable and we will have privacy. Unfortunately there is a lot of paperwork to go through.”

“Kitchen would be best, then. We’d have a table,” Charlie nodded in the direction of the mentioned room. “My aunt and uncle promised to leave the house while you’re here so privacy won’t be an issue.”

“Good,” the major nodded, indicating that Charlie should lead the way.

Setting a rather heavy briefcase on the table, Will began pulling out packets of papers while Charlie got comfortable. “The first and most obvious,” he stated as he handed her a stack that was thick and printed so finely it was difficult to read, “is the non-disclosure agreement. This you need to sign, no matter what your – or our – decision is past this point. It is stating that you will not reveal the presence of the Cybertronians, or anything you know may be connected to them to anyone.”

She was about to agree, of course she wouldn’t tell anyone, who would believe her anyway? Then she remembered Nate. Should she tell him about his experience? Would it be fair to him? They had already planed on dragging him into the whole mess, but was it for the best to do so?

“I think I need to tell you something first,” she said slowly trying to put her thoughts together.

Will sagged a little, sensing the familiar tone of someone who had to say something they knew they didn't want to say. “Someone else knows?”

“Sort of.”

“Your Aunt and Uncle?”

“No, nobody here. It's...a friend that maybe saw something.”

“Who did your friend see and when?” The major shifted fully into his 'cover up' mode, knowing that whatever exposure had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

“They don’t know about them,” Charlie shook her head, “Just what they saw...at Mission City.”

The major nodded and sat in the chair across from Charlie. “What exactly did they see?”

Charlie took a deep breath. “He was driving on the freeway and two of them landed right in front of him. He got a really good look at them. He doesn’t really... like them. He saw people get injured. He saw people die.” she said quietly.

Sighing, Will nodded. “I see. What is his name?”

She was instantly hesitant. She really didn’t want Nate to be angry with her, but did she really have any choice in this? She took a deep breath and swallowed her fear. “Nate. Nate Facer.”

“All right, I'll make a note. Other than Mr. Facer, is there anyone else who may suspect, or that has any insight to all of this?” He scribbled some things down on a piece of paper as he spoke.

“No one,” she shook her head hoping she had made a good decision.

“Good! Now, if you'd look through the packet. From this point forward you will not speak of the Cybertronians with anyone that doesn't have clearance to do so. You will do your best to avoid any situation that may reveal them, or yourself as anything other than normal. This is both for your protection and theirs.

“You do need to understand that Illusory is not officially a member of our military faction known as N.E.S.T., but she is a contracted alliance that we are taking responsibility for. Being in contact with her may mean further briefings and disclosure agreements, but we will deal with those when the times come. Are you in agreement with this, so far?”

“ Except for reading the  _ Great America Novel _ , yeah,” she said sarcastically, flipping through a few pages of the contract in front of her.

The man laughed. “It's a lot to take in, I know, but it is all very important stuff. Most of it's for the politicians that have gotten involved with the team, can't leave out any minor detail or they'll be walking all over us.” He shrugged. “You can read it when you have time; however, you have to sign the agreement either way.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll agree with whatevers in there,” she picked up the pen and paused. She sighed. “Wish I was ambidextrous,” she joked softly.

“No time like the present to learn, huh?” He smiled warmly, waiting patently for her to sign the papers before moving on to the next thing. “Okay, now for the tough stuff. I'm sure you've suspected we've already done a background check on you, and your family – it's standard when approaching this kind of thing. Nothing out of the ordinary was found, so there are no issues there.” He handed her yet another large packet.

They continued on like that for several hours, many papers passing back and forth before the major finally leaned back in his chair.

“Do you have any questions for me at this point?”

Taking a sip from the glass she’d poured herself half way through the paperwork, Charlie shook her head. “I don’t think so. Oh, um. The cabin,” she chuckled sadly, “we kinda lost the kitchen when those two ‘Con’s showed up.”

“Clean up crew took care of it. Everything might not be exact, but the building has been repaired and the evidence cleaned up,” the man smiled easily. By now the team had become rather used to picking up, they had an on call construction crew just for such occasions.

“Good,” Charlie sighed, “I was getting anxious about telling my grandpa.” Charlie then paused biting her lip a little. “Could...could Nate come with me? For... heh, moral support?”

Will took a moment to think it over. “If you want him to be with you he would have to also sign the non-disclosure and pass all the background checks. However, I'm thinking with what you've said he's seen of them; it might be a little much to expose him so fully to the Cybertronians. What we could do, though, is to put him up in a hotel outside the base. Visitations could be arranged.”

Charlie thought about this for a moment. It was probably best to figure out how to tell him later. “Yeah. You’re right. Too much too fast isn’t gonna help him see.”

“You should be hearing back from me, personally, within the next week for approval. Really it's just a bunch of red tape at this point, and between Illusory and Ratchet, I think this will get pushed through rather quickly.” Will started putting things away. “Anything else you have concerns about at this time?”

Charlie smiled. She was excited before, but now she was practically shaking with anxious joy. Not only was she going to get a really good prosthetic but she was about to meet more of Illusory’s kind. She tried not to squeal as she shook her head. “Not right now.”

“Good. Feel free to contact me if you think of something,” he handed her a card with his number on it. “It was very nice meeting you, Charlie.”

She took the card with a smile. “It was nice to meet you too, Major.”

The man left, the large truck outside seeming overly ready to depart as well as it rumbled to life.

Not too far away, the familiar form of Illusory's alt mode crept back almost imperceptibly in reaction to the trucks movement. Once it had disappeared down the street, the femme's holoform trotted across the street, headed for Charlie's house.

Charlie watched the truck leave and waved at Illusory when she spotted her friend. Scatterblade joined the two parking his alt mode behind Illusory. “That was a very strange car for a military guy to come in.”

“That was Ironhide,” Illusory grumbled. “I am honestly surprised he willingly sat there the whole time.”

“And I didn’t get introduced?” she asked in dismay. She pouted for a second before shrugging in defeat. “Oh well. Guess that’ll have to wait a few weeks.”

“It’ll take that long?” The mech asked surprised.

“ Paperwork takes  _ forever _ ,” she said emphasizing the word.

“Hn,” the femme grunted. “At least this part of it is over.”

“Little bit closer to making you whole,” Scatterblade grinned. 

Charlie grinned as well though less enthusiastically than before. “It’ll be really...weird. I mean,” she sat down on the porch, not wanting to go inside, “I went to sleep then woke up without it,” she said rubbing what was left of her arm. “It’ll be strange...to have it again. But backwards.” she laughed. “I’m really excited and nervous.”

“It’ll be fine.” Scatterblade reassured. 

Illusory tried to think of how it would feel to be in Charlie's place. Human limbs weren't typically replaceable. How would she feel if she came online one day missing a limb that would never be repaired? She simply couldn't fathom it. “You will hardly notice the difference,” she stated before she realized she really didn't know if the human would notice a discernible difference or not.

Charlie chuckled not all that comforted. “I think I will,” she stated, “I wonder if I’ll have nerves in it? Will I be able to tell what I’m touching? Will I have to figure out the strength of it?” She stopped, laughing at her own stream of questions. “Gosh I think too much.”

“I believe those are honest concerns, though I do not know how to answer them for you. That is an area best dealt with by Ratchet. Maybe Wheeljack. Science and medicine are not my strong points.” The femme smiled faintly.

The woman nodded. “I figured as much after I said it all.”

“Scrap, there’s a lot that’s gonna go into this. Didn’t know it’d be this difficult,” Scatterblade commented. 

“Complete repairs are rarely simple; add the complication of human biology...” the femme sighed softly. “Yes, a lot will have to go into it, but it will be worth it.”

Both Charlie and Scatterblade nodded.

“Definitely,” the mech said.

“The worst part though,” Charlie began, Scatterblade glanced at her in confusion, “is the wait,” she finished.

He grinned in agreement, “Yes. It will be.”

“Then we must simply find ways to make the time pass as unnoticed as possible.”

“Got any suggestions?” Scatterblade asked looking up at her from his spot on the grass. 

Illusory thought for a while about possible options. She started searching the available internet for things humans liked to do with their time. “It seems that the most common way to pass several days of time would be to travel...” she reported. “Often visiting monuments, places of interest, parks, and themed stations of entertainment.”

Charlie chuckled at the rather stoic way Illusory listed the different options. “Yeah and such ‘places’ require money,” she said with air quotes. “Admission, food, gas. We could always make a road trip out of getting to where ever the rest of your guys are. Stop by some sights. We could go see Zion’s National Park!” Charlie was suddenly excited by the prospect. “There’s a ton of awesome trails to hike and not a ton of people will be there because winter’s on it’s way.”

“That seems acceptable to me,” the femme nodded.

“Sounds like fun,” Scatterblade agreed, “When do you want to head out?”

“How about...day after tomorrow?” Charlie suggested. “Gives me time to pack and get things together. Not too much of course,” she said at the pale distressed look on Scatterblade’s face.

Illusory agreed as well. She passed the time researching some of the places Charlie had mentioned, calculating the time that it would take them to get back to the Nevadian Autobot base at speeds obeying the traffic laws, and choosing an acceptable route that would fill the allotted time the best.

Charlie got a list together and started gathering what she could without having to go to a store. They could pick up the supplies on the way.

Scatterblade was eager to see the park that Charlie had mentioned. He started looking up photos of the place and it was easily one of the prettiest places he had seen so far. Or, he was going to see.

When the time came, Illusory helped Charlie load her things and prepared herself for the lengthy trip.

Charlie graciously accepted the help and turned to invite Scatterblade into the car. When he disappeared and the black Bonneville revved its engine, she was slightly confused. “Right behind you,” he called guessing what her confusion was.

She laughed realizing her own blunder. Scatterblade wasn't the man she was accustomed to seeing; he was the robot in car form. It was definitely still taking her some time to get used to. They weren’t human. They just seemed so human, it was easy to forget. Waving a little at the black car, she climbed into the white one she was currently reminding herself was an alien robot – and her friend – not just a car.

Illusory set to the first path easily enough, though she found it hard to maintain the legal speeds. It was slower than a leisurely stroll in town, hardly something she was used to. However, for Charlie's sake, she knew to keep to the laws.

Charlie hadn’t realized they were headed in the wrong direction for Zion’s but got equally excited when she looked at the map. “The salt flats! We have to drive right across the salt flats!” she said excitedly.

::Salt flats?:: Scatterblade asked Illusory. ::What’s she on about?::

::It is one of the places humans find interesting; some kind of natural phenomenon nearby.:: Illusory stated rather factually, though she didn't quite understand Charlie's enthusiasm.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about,” the woman sighed with a laugh. “It’s a huge space of just salt and nothing else. Races happen on the flats every year! I was gonna go last year but school got in the way.”

::Races?:: Scatterblade’s interest piqued. ::Ask her how many people would be there,:: he begged like an eager sparkling.

“It seems you have captured Scatterblade's attention. How many people will be racing?” The femme chuckled softly. Though she had to admit, the chance at letting loose across the open land was very tempting.

“The most I’ve ever seen race was like ten or twenty but that’s not even close to when the big racers come,” Charlie said a grin nearly splitting her face. “It’s should be pretty visitor free. It’s not the right season for it, if I remember correctly.”

::Open grounds,:: the femme purred. ::We have time to spare.:: “I believe it might be worth a bit of 'sightseeing', if that is alright by you?”

Scatterblade’s engine roared in excitement at the prospect. It had been a long time since he had been able to let loose.

Charlie nodded enthusiastically. “Heck yeah! Let’s stop for lunch there.”

Illusory revved her engine in agreement, pushing the edge of the speed limits. When they reached the flats, the femme slowed to a crawl to look over the large expanse of white space. “Impressive. Where should we stop?”

“We’ve got to make it far enough from the freeway that no one can see us. Don’t need an audience,” Charlie said matter-of-factually.

With an eager rumble of her engine, the femme turned away from the highway and poured on as much speed as she felt acceptable with Charlie still riding inside her.

Scatterblade had no such restriction and sped off ahead of her. He gave her a wide berth before doing a few donuts in the salt, whooped loudly with pure enjoyment.

Illusory laughed at the mech's performance, enjoying watching him let loose. After everything of the past several orns, the mech definitely deserved it.

Charlie joined in the laughter. It was great seeing her two companions in such high spirits. It was something she hadn't been entirely sure either new how to be; though she couldn't blame them for their reserved nature.

When they reached an acceptable distance, Illusory stopped to let the girl out. “Is this far enough?”

Charlie stepped out and squinted at the glare from the winter sun. “Wow. One of the only times where if we can’t see 'them', 'they' can’t see us. This is perfect!” She shouted over the wind that tugged at her.

“The weather is not to harsh for you, is it?” The femme took note of the temperature, the winds, and the glare of the sun. She had learned that humans were not to be exposed to direct sunlight for too long or it could cause damage.

The woman rummaged in her bag and produced a white scarf that she tied around her mouth and head. “I’ll be okay,” she said giving her friend a thumbs up. There was no way she was going to deny these wonderful beings the opportunity to have a little freedom on account of a little weather.

Scatterblade paused in his festivities for a moment still in alt mode to consider his companions. "You guys just gonna stand around? Come on!” He called as he sped off once more.

Illusory took another moment to look over the area and to be sure Charlie would be safe before she crept some distance away. Once she was sure that she wouldn't kick too much debris up at the woman, she poured on speed and gave chase to the mech. He was fast, but she was small, agile and built for speed. She caught up to him quickly enough and pulled even with him. “It is hard to 'stand' while in alternative mode,” she pointed out. Then she pushed a little harder and pulled ahead.

Scatterblade laughed hard and the race was on. For a while they were closely matched but soon the mech couldn’t keep the pace any longer. He fell back enough to make sure he didn’t crash into her and with a flourish he transformed and somersaulted to his feet.

“Show off!” The femme declared as she spun to a rather impressive stop herself.

Scatterblade gave a generous bow. “You know it!”

Laughing happily, Illusory checked their location compared to where she had left Charlie. “We should head back.” It had been good to get her engine running like that, she felt relieved, unstressed, and content. A long, slow drive back to Nevada didn't sound so straining any more.

Scatterblade nodded. “Alright,” he vented, looking back the way they came, “but I wanna walk.”

Illusory agreed with Scatterblade's desire to walk. After all, they had driven quite a distance away from the human traveling paths, and there didn't appear to be anyone around other than Charlie. She joined him in bipedal mode and they headed back to Charlie at a comfortable walk.

“It is nice to stretch,” she sighed as she finished stretching all of her joints.

“Yeah. Never seems to be time to do so,” he said, not sadly though it did make him feel a tad down realizing just how much time was spent rushing around, or hiding, or any number of other things that simply didn't allot for the little pleasures of life. 

“Hopefully we will find more time for such things. Every orn cannot be crazy, eventually there must be a lag.” The femme vented as the recent events reminded her just how insane things could get without any warning whatsoever. “I hope that we will have at least some time to just relax.”

“I do too,” he said giving a nod.

***

Nate drove quickly down the highway trying not to let his agitation get him into trouble. He felt bad about how he had acted and how he had just left Charlie like he had. It didn’t make matters better when he got back to Logan to have his girlfriend waiting at his house; correction; ex-girlfriend.

The pair had been on and off so many times he couldn't count anymore. She was high maintenance, extremely clingy, and despite his patience, they was done. Ideas started to differ about their future together; her seeing one and him seeing an entirely different path. He had left not long after returning to Cache Valley, determined to make things right with Charlie. If he was losing the woman he thought he had loved, there was no way he was going to lose his friend too.

However, when he had arrived back in Salt Lake, he was told that he had missed Charlie by several hours. Jeff had explained that Charlie was going in for an experimental prosthetic and would be gone for several weeks. He had overheard Charlie talking about what freeway they would travel by and had given Nate a pretty good idea of their plans – at least for the first day of travel – so he decided to just cruise along slightly above the speed limit, hoping to spot the white car Lu would be driving.

Nate grinned when he saw the salt flats in the distance. There were a lot of fun times he’d had with his buddies from high school out on the flats. Nostalgia took over and before he could remind himself he was hoping to catch Charlie, he was pulling his car off onto the flats. After he was clear of the main road, he sped off in search of his favorite stretch to push the limits of his car.

He had almost reached his destination when he spotted a figure in the distance. As he got closer his jaw dropped with complete disbelief and he pulled out his phone. Hastily dialing the number he wanted, he watched the figure. As he suspected, she dug in her pocket to retrieve her cell phone. “Nate! Hey, how are you?” Charlie greeted merrily, her mood easily reflected in her voice.

“What are you doing in Bonneville Salt Flats?”

There was silence. “W-what?”

“Look up ahead of you,” he said putting his phone away. 

Charlie looked up and he saw her shoulder slump, he almost suspected a look of fear crossed her face.

Bringing his car to a stop and exiting with a loud slam of the door, he confronted the woman standing alone on the flats. “What are you doing out here?” He shouted over the wind. “I thought Lu was taking you to get your prosthetic. Where is she?”

“I-- we--,” she gaped like a fish, panic clear in her body language.

“Did she just dump you here?” Nate accused, looking around for any sign of the other woman. He spotted tire tracks, but nothing else.

“No!” Charlie shook her head, “No. She just- she went to drive on the flats.”

“Why didn’t she take you with her?” 

“She likes to drive fast and she didn’t want me to get hurt.”

“Oh,” Nate fell a little repentant. Still, it seemed odd to leave Charlie on her own like this. “Sorry, it's just...” he sighed, trying to clear his thoughts. “How long ago did she go?”

“Like twenty minutes or so,” she said though she wasn't making it sound believable.

“Come on, let’s get in out of the wind,” he said walking her back to her car.

Just as she was about to sit inside, they both felt the faintest of tremors. Charlie’s face paled and she silently prayed that it wasn't what she thought it was. Nate waited for the tremors to repeat a few times just to make sure it wasn't his imagination before he turned toward the origin.

***

Unaware of their new guest, Illusory continued toward where Charlie was. Her last scans hadn't been so long ago and she highly doubted anything would have changed in that time. She was rather enjoying the openness of the flats, even if the substance was harsh on her armor when the wind blew against her. The femme froze as her next scans went out. “Someone is with Charlie...” she could just see the vehicle and the two forms outside of it. Panic was rising in her. “Someone has Charlie!”

Scatterblade acted immediately running for the two, his processor only told him that his friend was in possible danger and that he had to do something about it immediately.

When the black figure came out of the glare from the salt Nate threw himself in front of Charlie, trying to shield her from the thing currently rushing toward them. He practically shoved her into his car, urgency vibrating through his entire body.

When Charlie refused to get inside, he roared at her to get in, threw the door open, and pushed her inside. He scrambled to get in his car and sped off as fast as he could push his poor car.

Scatterblade didn’t recognize the car, partly because of the sun on the salt, but also because saving Charlie was the only task on his processor. He swiftly shifted to alt mode and sped after them.

Meanwhile Charlie was trying to get Nate to stop his car. She just knew this was going to end badly.

“You have to stop! You’re just going to make this worse!”

“No! We need to get out of here! Call the Air Force! Call the Marines! The whole God dang Army! Those are the same things I saw in Mission City!”

“You don’t know what’s going on, Nate! Stop the car!” She shouted, twisting in her seat to see Scatterblade roaring up behind them.

“No! You’re the one who doesn’t understand!” He roared back. 

Suddenly the black car was right on their tail and matching speed with the man’s car. In a burst of speed Nate had never seen before the mech launched ahead and transformed back to bipedal mode and barricaded the way. Nate had no choice but to swerve to avoid the path of the black behemoth barring their path.

Scatterblade moved faster though, grabbing the top of the car and lifted the back end so that the wheels spun uselessly in the air.

Charlie rolled her window down and desperately shouted; “Scatterblade! It’s Nate!”

The mech’s red haze left him but he still held the car captive. “Oh, frag.”

Illusory came up beside Scatterblade, her shock had left her just a step behind the mech. “Charlie? Are you injured?” She scanned the car, finding both humans inside. Gently she pulled at the vehicle trying to get Scatterblade to set it down so she could get to the youths within.

“I’m fine,” Charlie said, glancing at Nate who was clutching the wheel with white knuckles. She reached over and waved her hand in front of his face. He jumped removing his feet from the pedals. Charlie quickly turned off the ignition and pulled the keys, tucking them quickly into her pocket so he wouldn’t try to escape again.

Scatterblade lowered the car and stepped back.

“Not so sure about Nate though,” Charlie groaned. Before getting out of the car she touched his shoulder. He jumped again and looked at her like she was the alien instead of the two outside his car. “Come on,” she soothed, “come say hi. I promise, it's safe.”

He stared at her and didn’t budge as she exited to make an example.

“I’m okay guys,” she said up to the two ‘bots.

Illusory knelt beside the human. “I am sorry, Charlie. We did not realize he was there...and when I saw someone that did not belong, I panicked. I believe Scatterblade acted on my fear.”

Scatterblade stood off from the scene trying hard not to scowl. This was not how he wanted Nate to learn about them. Truthfully, he didn't really want the man to know about them at all. In his processor it would have been far better if he had just gone on not knowing; but the discussion from before reminded him why they had chosen otherwise.

Charlie shook her head, making small motions in attempt to sooth the white femme. “It’s okay. I didn’t know he was here either.” She glanced to Nate, worried about his silence. He had been practically motionless since Scatterblade lifted his car, just staring at the mech through the windshield, eyes wide with a hint of anger beneath the fear. He tore his gaze from the mech and looked at the femme. It was the white car. The car that was totaled...was kneeling beside Charlie, looking...concerned?

He wanted to shout at them both. He wanted to rave and yell and get out all his frustration and anger and shock, but he just gaped like Charlie had before.

“Nate?” Illusory called, starting to worry for the young man. His silence and lack of movement were both indicators of something not right. “Were you injured?”

Finally finding his voice, he asked a question of his own. “She was the car? Sh-she- why did you lie to me? I already knew about them! Not  _ them  _ them but--” he said waving his arms toward the two standing there, all of his accusations falling on Charlie. “Why didn’t you trust me?”

Charlie shrugged miserably. “It’s been complicated from the very beginning. It wasn’t my place to tell you. It still isn’t.” She turned away from him trying not to let him see her stress induced tears.

“What does that mean?” He asked climbing from the car and trying to turn her to face him again.

“Hey,” Scatterblade growled in warning. 

Nate pulled back taking several breaths in attempts to calm himself. “Why couldn’t you trust me?”

“Because you don’t trust them,” Charlie said with heavy grief in her voice. “What’s more; you didn’t trust me.”

“What?” He was deeply hurt by the accusation.

“I didn’t want you to get caught up in it all,” she said then grabbed her elbow in her hand and said much softer, “I was kinda being selfish, too. The big reason was we thought you weren’t ready. You’d been nothing but negative about them. We wanted you to see the good too, but we never really got the chance to show you.”

Nate was silent, his focus turning to Charlie's feet in thought.

Illusory waited, afraid to say anything, but she offered her support to Charlie, shielding her from the wind.

“So, now what?” Nate asked, uncertainly. “Do we just disappear like all that info about the attacks. Do we just pretend it never happened?” His anger was rising again. It wasn't fair to make them stop their lives just because of a few robots – whether or not he liked them.

“It depends on if you want to,” Scatterblade muttered.

“‘Balde!” Charlie scolded harshly. 

He shuffled his feet and avoided her gaze. “Sorry."

Charlie turned back to Nate, offering her most sincere look as she tried to calm him. “I don’t know. Do you want to see the good or are you going to let the past haunt you?”

Nate couldn’t tear his gaze from hers. He didn’t know what he wanted, truthfully. After what he had seen, he didn't think anything 'good' could come of these robots. He let out a deep breath. “I’m not sure yet.”

Charlie looked back at both the mech and femme for advice or input.

Illusory hung her head. “We intend you no harm,” she mumbled.

“We’ve never wanted to hurt anyone,” Scatterblade added shortly.

Nate found it easier to accept Illusory’s words before Scatterblade’s. Maybe it was just the fact that they were both male, but he felt it would take awhile for them to even be tolerant of each other. “Where were you going? What kind of prosthetic were you going to get? Or, was that all a lie too?”

“I.., heh heh, kinda signed a contract about not talking about them. So either of you guys wanna take this one?” Charlie grinned throwing them to the proverbial sharks. At least if one of them talked to Nate, she couldn't go to prison for it.

“It is a prototype organic-cybernetic hybrid that the Autobot Chief Medical Officer and Lead Scientist are developing based on some already founded human research that I discovered among your kind's own medical advancements. With the human knack for adaptation, and Cybertronian technology, the prosthetic should be almost as good as a natural limb.” Illusory paused as she realized her explanation was running on. “We are headed to the Autobot-human alliance headquarters for the repairs.”

Nate shook off the stare he found himself giving partially through the explanation. Part of him was completely fascinated by all this. There was a living thinking robot talking to him about helping his friend. It was beyond anything he could comprehend in one go. It would have been even more amazing if he didn’t remember what he had experienced. The part of him that clung to those memories was very guarded and didn’t want to go anywhere with them. However, he found himself calming down and relaxing somewhat as the female spoke to him. Maybe he would be able to go along with her without completely losing it. “So do I get to go home?” He asked suddenly very tired. Not knowing his immediate future was exhausting.

“Why did you come out here in the first place?” Charlie asked.

“I...I was kinda looking for you. I wanted to apologize for the way I was acting. I didn’t mean to just up and leave. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time,” he said pathetically. He had thought out a way better explanation on his way out here, but all that seemed to have evaporated. “I got distracted when I saw the flats...thought I'd race around for a little while, clear my head.”

Charlie’s face fell behind her scarf but she nodded. “Okay.”

“If you wish to return home, there is nothing I can do to stop you.” Illusory spared the boy's car a rather rueful look. “I do not see that your vehicle sustained any damage that would prevent it from functioning adequately.”

“Maybe we can just spare the time and take him with us,” Scatterblade offered.

Charlie glanced up at the mech with a raised eyebrow.

He shrugged his shoulders at her in response to the unasked question. “What? The major’s gonna have to come talk to him anyway. Might as well just cut to the chase.”

Charlie wasn’t sure that it was a good idea but it seemed to make a little more sense than having to send him home just to bring him back. She looked to Illusory for her opinion.

Illusory looked rather stunned by Scatterblade's suggestion. “Y-yeah,” she stammered. “That would be the most practical thing to do...if you wish?” She turned to Nate for an answer.

The mech partly hoped the boy would be “detained” for questioning but he kept that part to himself. Ulterior motives weren't really his thing, but when he had them, he kept them quiet.

Nate glanced at all three of them though he spent very little time looking at the mech. That inner conflict came again; stay or go home? He felt torn in making a decision. The more he studied the femme in front of him the more he wanted to know, but then, if these were part of the same group he had seen on the freeway...what if he saw the two from last time? He didn’t know what he would do. He would never be able to hurt them or retaliate of course, but he felt he needed to prolong that meeting.

“I think...I need some time to think...” he said stepping back toward his car. He turned to Charlie. “I’ll see you later,” he said, trying to shake off the daze.

Charlie smiled to him though it fled just as quickly. She was very disappointed by his choice and she feared that he wasn't going to change his mind about the aliens at all.

“Nate,” Illusory started, though whatever her argument was to be fell short. “Allow me to take you? We will see after your vehicle.” She moved to block the boy's progress, but waited for his answer before doing anything further. “At least I may be able to answer some questions for you.”

“I... you sure? Don't you guys have a schedule to meet or...” Nate floundered.

“Scatterblade can get me there,” Charlie said her smile staying this time. The fact that he was even hesitating was good. He was curious instead of blindly fearful.

The mech looked down at Charlie with a grin and nodded. “What could it hurt? We can always wait for Illusory to catch up.”

Nate looked back to the femme and then to his car. “I do have a tow hitch,” he finally consented.

“Good!” The femme transformed back into her alt mode and activated her holoform in the driver's seat, leaving her passenger door open for Nate.

Nate found himself chuckling despite himself. She seemed so excited, it was almost a human reaction. “Let me get my car all set.”

The task was simple and he wished Charlie good luck before hopping into the passenger’s seat and offered her the address to his house before fakkubg silent. It was more than a little awkward with a human version of the robot he was riding in sitting next to him despite the fact that he had known that image for quite some time now. He knew now that it was fake. “This isn’t weird for you, is it?” He asked timidly after some time.

“Not at all. I have transported Charlie a number of times like this. Even among my own kind, we transport...used to transport some of our younger or smaller members in a similar way.” The femme kept a steady pace, the added weight of another vehicle barely making any difference to her.

Nate wanted to let his mouth run but he knew it wouldn’t help either of them. He was also terrified to speak his mind. Reliving that moment was hard enough but now he had a chance to get some answers. Did he really want to know the answers? He focused on settling his racing heart. 'Just bite the bullet, man', he scolded himself. “Why did your kind come here?” He asked cautiously.

“I wish I could say it was by invitation or by simple curiosity; however, the truth of the matter is that their war spread and your planet was unfortunate enough to become one of its far too many battlegrounds,” there was a harshness to her voice as she spoke, all her own frustrations of the Great War spilling into her words. She took a deep breath before continuing. “Though my understanding at this point is that their war has been rendered mostly at a standstill, for the time.”

Nate felt some kind of pressure release inside him. It made sense. It had happened in history before with entire countries getting caught in a war that wasn’t their own. “I take it you’re not in this war?” It was more of a statement than a question. He had picked up on her isolation of herself from the situation.

“No,” she stated harshly. “I am very strictly Neutral. Their war is foolish and...” she vented, causing a shudder to run through her frame. “I apologize, I have strong opinions toward it all that will likely do little to help you understand us.”

Nate stared down at the floor and his feet. “If you’re neutral, why don’t you just stop and go home?”

Illusory didn't answer right away. She allowed a few miles to pass before she decided on her answer. “I have no home to return to.” She said softly, with defeat. If she really thought of it, that was all there was to it, and as sad as it was, she had come to accept it.

Nate finally looked up at her, a look of shock on his face. “The war was global...” he said putting the pieces he had together. “It’s dead?” He didn’t expect an answer. He had more questions to ask, hopefully with less dramatic answers to them. “The place Charlie’s going to. The...Autobots was it? Are they the same ones that were on the news a while back? They were demanded some guy...” he said hoping to refresh her memory. What had been the guys name? Ben? Tod? Sal?

“No,” the femme had to stop herself from jumping to research mode. “The Autobots would not demand anyone in such a way, they are pretty highly concerned with remaining under cover. It was most likely the Decepticons. They tend to be rather rash and care little about what lives they disrupt in the process.”

"Decepticons," Nate repeated with a humorless chuckle. "Sounds like a bad `80's movie plot," he murmured before quickly pushing past the comment. “So since you guys mentioned a Major, I’m gonna guess the government is involved?”

“Indeed. It seems that the Autobots have aligned themselves with much of your planets militant organizations and created one common section. They have a base in Nevada, which is where we will be taking Charlie as soon as approval goes through.”

Nate nodded. He’d been expecting the higher up officials to be 'in the know'. “Is she gonna be okay?” He kept his gaze away from the femme, not wanting to reveal his emotions to the alien.

“Nothing ill will happen to her so long as I still function,” the femme paused remembering the previous accident that had brought Charlie to this point, “and I am able to stop it,” she finished miserably.

Nate glanced up at her, hearing the guilt and self-blame in her voice. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was way too paranoid. He wasn’t about ready to welcome these strangers with open arms and plan guys night out but maybe he could learn to trust them. Maybe if he was told all that had happened it would make easing his mind...well, easier. Maybe...that was a lot of maybes. He definitely needed time to think.

Illusory pulled to the curb at the address she had been provided. Their drive had been quick, she thought, though she hadn't attempted to reach their destination any quicker than necessary. “I suppose this is your residence,” she sounded hesitant to part ways.

The man was about to get out but he paused. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“I...” her holoform looked away from him. “I am truly sorry for everything,” she whispered. “I will take care of Charlie to the best of my abilities,” she stated louder and with confidence. “You should contact her more often, she worries for you.”

Nate smiled kindly, “I believe you,” he said before getting out the car.

“It was good to speak with you. If you have any need, or desire to speak with me again, I can provide you with an appropriate contact that will reach my internal communication system. Otherwise you can contact Charlie.”

Nate nodded, accepting a quickly scrawled number from the woman sitting inside the living car. “Thanks. It was good to talk to you too,” he said waving goodbye and walking to the back to unhook his car.

 


	19. Event Nineteen

Event Nineteen

~

_At times our sense of comfort is shattered and we seek the illusion of safety in places we may not have considered before._

~

 

Scatterblade sat across from Charlie watching with amusement as she ate the breakfast style meal. He tried to ask her why she was having the meal this late in the day but she looked too contented to interrupt her. “I love ham,” she said happily after taking a breath from her brunch.

“Ham?” Illusory asked as her holoform reached their table. She looked a little revolted after searching the internet for what 'ham' was. “That is...interesting...” 

“You’re not supposed to look for it,” Charlie said, after a failed attempt to stop her through a mouth full of hash browns. “It’s for the tongue to enjoy and not the brain to understand how it’s made,” she said matter-of-factually.

Scatterblade gave a confused face at the explanation. “If you say so...” He grinned at Illusory, sliding over so she could join them. “Welcome back.”

“That is a very confusing statement,” the femme stated, nodding in acknowledgment to the mech's greeting. “It has more to do with the flavors you were speaking of before? I do not know if I will ever understand the concept.” She shook her head slightly.

“Exactly,” Charlie said taking a big bite of eggs.

Scatterblade chuckled at her enthusiasm.

“So, how’d it go?” Charlie asked, after taking a swig of orange juice. 

“I believe it went well. Nate seemed...accepting, if nothing else. We parted with no harsh words.”

“Good old, Nate,” Charlie smiled, “He’s stubborn but he’s great. He’ll come around. It may be a while,” she consented, “but he’ll come around.” 

Scatterblade gave a polite smile as though to say he would keep his comments to himself. He knew the boy had his reasons. Maybe if he had found out the way Charlie had, without his past experiences, it might have been just fine. They might have been friends from the get go, but this was going to be – as the humans said – one heck of a gap to bridge.

The femme nodded. She remained hopeful, despite her own misgivings. “I hope so,” was all she said.

Charlie nodded also hoping that her words would hold true. She looked down at her plate and sighed. “I’m ready when you guys are,” she grinned, her excitement about the trip returning full force.

“If you’re up to going again,” Scatterblade asked Illusory.

“Absolutely,” the femme stood and awaited her companions.

Charlie went up front to pay for her meal.

Once they were on the road again Charlie couldn’t help but to pull out her camera. The desert scenes flying by reminded her of home. She had missed the fiery reds and brilliant oranges of the sunsets she had grown up with.

The time went by for the three as they traveled rather quickly. Illusory got so involved with their trips, she forgot from time to time where they were actually going, or why. She was envious of the humans, yet at the same time, so incredibly happy that she was being given this opportunity to be one of them – in a sense – and given the chance to see what life without war could be.

“This is amazing,” she sighed, after yet another stop.

::Optimus to Scatterblade,:: the Autobot leader's voice came over a private link quite suddenly.

The mech started and Charlie gave him a confused look. ::Optimus. Scatterblade, here,:: he replied trying not to sound like he had just jumped out of his alt mode.

::I chose to contact you directly and pass along the message that Charlie has been accepted for the prosthetic program. We will be expecting you.::

::That’s good to hear,:: the young mech replied happily. ::We should be there within a day or so. Maybe sooner.::

::Very good. Alert us upon your arrival.::

::Will do.:: Scatterblade looked back to Illusory and Charlie, the latter still confused by the sudden change in his demeanor. “You’ve been cleared,” he announced with a big grin.

Charlie jumped to her feet excitedly. “Officially?”

“Yup.”

Charlie hopped up and down, squealing with joy and excitement. Scatterblade couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Her reaction sent him into hysterical laughter.

Illusory vented happily. Truthfully, she had a small amount of fear that something would go wrong and the girl would be denied this opportunity to become whole again. “Then I suppose we should head that way now?” She asked, taking one last look around their current stop. It really was lovely, but she could come back whenever she chose. The novelty of that very thought gave her a thrill in her spark.

“Can we?” Charlie practically begged. 

“Sure. You ready?” Scatterblade asked Illusory, transforming to his alt mode. 

“Yes,” she followed suit and opened her door for Charlie. “Let us get you repaired.”

Charlie eagerly jumped into the seat, her grin broadening as Scatterblade lead the way to the freeway.

The trip to the base took them a few hours. Illusory chatted idly with Charlie and Scatterblade as they went, but her processor was very obviously not into it. She was nervous; for Charlie and for herself. She didn't want to go back to the base again. Not that her last stay had been so horrible – if she excluded the damaged part of it – but she just didn't feel right there. Like the outsider she was. It bothered her. Still, they were going to repair Charlie and for that she would suffer anything.

Scatterblade found it hard to keep the speed limit. He was almost as excited as Charlie was. She had been through the ringer and still managed to be optimistic and happy. Much the way he tried to live his life. He had discovered a long time ago that if he didn’t, he might lose his sanity.

When they got close, Illusory slowed her pace. “Are you ready for this?” The femme asked of her passenger. Just beyond they could see the heavy fencing that marked the boarders of the Nevadian N.E.S.T. base.

Charlie tried to swallow, her throat suddenly dry. Despite her nervousness she nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, rubbing her arm once more.

Scatterblade searched for the entrance and commed the CMO. ::Ratchet, it’s Scatterblade. We’ve arrived.::

::We've been expecting you. Head in through the main entrance. Report directly to the med bay. We would like to keep exposure to a slow trauma at best.::

::Will do,:: he replied relaying the info to Illusory. He led the way not bothering to change and walk.

Illusory followed closely to Scatterblade, nearly touching bumpers as they went. She noted every spark signature that she picked up on scanners, yet not a 'bot stood anywhere to be seen. The only one that dared even show, was Ironhide in his alt mode, who passed them as soon as they were through the gates and followed alongside them until they reached the med bay.

Charlie wanted to look out the windows like a little kid but restrained herself. She tried to spot other robots but to her dismay there were none she could see. She did, however, recognize the big black truck and recalled that Illusory and Scatterblade had said that was one of them. She tried hard to keep the squeal of excitement inaudible. “Where’s everyone else?” She asked, once she was sure her voice wouldn't squeak.

“Waiting their turn,” Illusory assured. “They did not wish to overwhelm you with too much at once. You will meet with Ratchet first and whomever else they have deemed it necessary for now.”

“Okay,” Charlie consented, though not very happy about the arrangement. She wanted to see all of them. There was no way that she would pass up a chance to meet more alien robots like her two friends.

When they reached their stop Charlie gazed at the size of the room. “Whoa.”

“It is not entirely to the Chief Medical Officer's standards, but it is functional,” Illusory explained confidently, not realizing Charlie's comment for what it was.

Once they entered, Jolt stood waiting for them. The smaller 'bot silently directed them where to go and then waited.

Illusory stopped and allowed Charlie to get out before transforming into her bipedal mode. “Jolt, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is Medical Assistant Jolt.”

Scatterblade joined Illusory taking a small moment to stretch.

“Nice to meet you,” Jolt greeted rather mundanely. For him, this was nothing new; he had become accustomed to humans, so meeting a new one hardly seemed like anything exciting.

Charlie’s eyes were wide and a grin was forming on her face. “Nice to meet you, too,” she greeted, her voice small at first. She cleared her throat with a nervous chuckle. Her eyes wandered everywhere, knowing already the new mech she had just met wasn’t all that interested in being buddy-buddy. His body language screamed professionalism. Apparently the title of doctor carried the same personality traits throughout the universe.

“Ratchet will be along shortly,” Jolt explained more to the 'bots than to Charlie. “He had to make some last minute adjustments with Wheeljack. Optimus sends his regards, but for now will not be coming. Business calls, I'm afraid.”

Illusory nodded her understanding. “Thank you.”

Charlie turned to Illusory and Scatterblade, her excitement still bubbling over. “That’s one heck of a name,” she chuckled. “Optimus,” she said softly to herself to try it out.

Scatterblade knelt down to her level and gave a chuckle of his own. “I think maybe Ratchet was underestimating you’re acceptance.”

Illusory considered the mech that had just left them, then Scatterblade, than herself. “I suspect it is because you have yet to see just how large we can truly be,” she said somewhat guardedly. “I am rather on the small size for a standard 'bot, even for a femme and Scatterblade is front-liner build, so he hardly represents the larger end of a standard mech himself.”

Scatterblade glanced up her with a raised eye ridge. “Gee, thanks,” he said sarcastically.

The femme offered the mech an apologetic smile. “It is simply fact,” she said, shrugging. “Not that your size is ineffective, for your position it is very appealing.” Illusory's optics brightened when she realized what she had said. Slightly embarrassed, she turned to examine something of great interest somewhere else.

Scatterblade shuttered his optics processing what she had just said and her reaction. He chuckled softly shaking his head. When he focused his sight once more to their human companion, Charlie was looking up at him with a sly grin and both brows raised. “What?’ he asked confused by her expression.

Charlie simply giggled quietly and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what species you are...” she muttered bemusedly to herself.

It wasn't long before the doors to the area they were in opened again, two mechs walking in. Ratchet and Wheeljack, both several feet taller than Scatterblade.

Wheeljack was the first to spot Charlie and eagerly crouched to greet the human. “Ya must be Charlie! Ah've heard quite uh bit 'bout ya. Gave us all uh scare when Lu told us yer were with her when...but tha' doen't matter now cause yer here an' yer fine. Well, considering. Ya' know what? It's nice ta meet ya.” He chuckled behind his mask.

“Yes,” Ratchet agreed, amused by the scientist. “It is good to see you in good health. Hopefully all goes well here and you will be fully functional again.”

Charlie jumped initially when the mech knelt to her and started jabbering, but she relaxed quickly, smiling broadly up at him. He seemed friendly enough. “Nice to meet you, Wheeljack.” She craned her neck to see Ratchet, her heart speeding up a little at the thought of the procedure. She still wasn’t sure what would happen. Would they put her under or would she be awake? Swallowing her apprehension, she gave the CMO a confident nod.

The medic instantly noticed the rise in pulse and blood pressure, knowing what they indicated in humans. “You have nothing to be afraid of,” he assured her. Deciding to do what he could before she had to be aware of it, the mech scanned the girl, and out of habit, all the others around him. He found Charlie's vitals to be within an acceptable range, but he did notice something was out of place with someone. “Illusory, what happened to you?”

The femme jumped slightly at the attention. “W-what do ya mean?” She stammered pressing her back against the wall to help hide the visual evidence of her missing window.

Charlie glanced at the two hoping her friend wouldn’t get yelled at for something that wasn’t her fault. Scatterblade did the same, doing one better; he subconsciously inched forward, putting himself between Ratchet and Illusory. He trusted the medic, but Illusory's fear spurred him into motion anyway. He hated how nervous she got around other Autobots.

“You have damage to one of your outer over-armor shielding extremities.” The medic didn't acknowledge the femme's discomfort at all as he crossed the distance to examine the damage, ignoring Sideswipe's passive attempt to protect her from him as well.. He pulled her away from the wall so he could see it with his own optics. “Mostly superficial, nothing serious. What happened?”

“N-nothing...it wasn't anythin' at all.”

“Nothing? You don't just get damaged by nothing.” Ratchet turned to Scatterblade, a rather demanding look on his face. “What happened?”

Wheeljack cringed at Ratchet's tone. “He takes his job seriously,” he whispered to Charlie before gently scooping her up to move her out of the way, not even thinking about the action. He placed the girl on a table that brought her closer to hip-height with the larger 'bots.

Charlie let out a yelp of surprise and clutched to the mech’s digits for dear life. She shut her eyes tight and mumbled to herself. “It’s just like the zipline, it’s just like the zipline...”

When she felt herself being let down she opened her eyes. Her knees shook and she crumpled to a sitting position, a nervous laugh overtaking her. She took several deep breaths before turning to the scientist. “Little...warning...next time,” she said between gasps.

Scatterblade was distracted from Ratchet by Charlie's sound of distress. He took a worried few paces toward Wheeljack before he registered what was going on.

“Oh, Ah'm sorry, didn't think,” the mech apologized.

Illusory tried to use the distraction to slip away from the medic's scrutiny, but was not quick enough to escape him.

“I'm not done with you yet. What happened to you, femme?”

“It was...”

“If you say 'nothing' again, I will have you admitted for full evaluation,” the medic warned.

Illusory looked terrified for a moment. “Uh human tried ta break in...” she mumbled.

“Tried?” The medic vented softly. “Looks like it did. Is there any further damage?”

“No.”

“Was that really so hard?”

The femme cowered away from the CMO slightly, feeling scolded like a youngling. “Ah didn't think it was uh big deal.”

“It isn't, but I'm your medic and you should inform me of your damages.” Seeming satisfied Ratchet turned to Scatterblade. “I'm aware of your recent battle with the Decepticons, your damages seem minimal.” He waited for the mech to answer some unasked question. 

“I’m fine,” he said putting his servos up in surrender, “just sore.”

“Good. Now,” Ratchet finally turned back to Charlie. “I'm sure you are nervous about this procedure. If you have any questions, I will gladly answer them for you.”

Charlie was suddenly tongue tied now being the center of attention. It took her a second to gather her thoughts. "I’d prefer it if I were...unconscious,” she said slowly, almost questioningly. “I was out when I...lost it...I think I’d rather not watch.”

The medic nodded. “That is agreeable for the majority of the procedure; however, once connection is made you will have to be alert so that we can be sure everything is functioning properly. We will do our best to be sure you feel no pain.”

Charlie nodded. She brightened some at the thought of her next question. “I’m not sure how optimistic to be but, will I be able to...feel with it? Will it look like my arm? All skin and fleshy?” She asked with a laugh and some hand gesture to accentuate her words.

“Well,” Wheeljack was the one to respond to this question. “The appearance of it ain't gonna be tha same as what ya got now, but, Ah have been in contact with Hound, an' he's walkin' me through some o' his most recent holo-emittor tech – might be able ta give it tha illuson o' uh real human appendage.”

“It is disguise-able,” Ratchet added simply. “As for feeling...we are not sure. That is one of the things we won't know until you try it. Human senses are very different from our own when it comes to the physics of it.”

Charlie nodded, she had expected as much with the sense of touch. Rubbing her arm trying to put on a brave face, she glanced back at Illusory and Scatterblade giving them a nod to reassure herself.

“Ready when you are,” she said, failing to keep a slight tremor from her voice.

With an approving nod, Ratchet turned to gather his equipment, Wheeljack doing the same, indicating the human should lay down.

As the mechs set up, three humans walked in; two males, one female.

“Dr. Ratchet?” One of the men called out.

The mech turned to the three humans. “Ah, good, we were just preparing to get started. Charlie, these people are Dr. Riese,” he pointed to one of the men, tall with dark hair, “Dr. Phillips,” the woman nodded, “and Dr. Hayze.” The last man, a medium build blond, waved. “They are here to observe and assist during the procedure.”

Illusory tensed at the appearance of so many human doctors. ::Why are they here?:: She demanded none too kindly over a limited comm to those in the room.

::Precautionary only,:: Ratchet assured her.

Charlie felt so vulnerable lying down and meeting the new doctors. She nodded trying to ease the hammering that had started to rise in her chest.

::She’ll be okay,:: Scatterblade sent to Illusory over a private line. ::Everything will be okay.::

The femme wanted to believe the mech, but she was so afraid now that it had come time to actually face all of this. ::She's afraid,:: she told him, inching her way toward Charlie through all the other goings on. ::What if something happens? I didn't think about this...::

Scatterblade placed a gentle hand on the femme’s shoulder. ::She’s braver than you think. This is another one of the those trust times. I know you’ve never heard of them before,:: he joked. ::It’s natural for her to be scared. But she’ll be okay,:: he stressed his last remark with a gentle squeeze to her shoulder.

Illusory leaned into the mech as the doctors all gathered around Charlie, beginning to anesthetize her so they could start the hardest part of the process. ::Ah'm scared,:: she admitted softly.

Scatterblade tensed at first. It hadn’t been the first time he had practically held her but it felt very awkward with others there. He shook his head removing any uncomrfortable thoughts from his processor. He gently put his hands on her shoulders, and simply stood there being her support while he too watched the doctors prep the young woman.

Ratchet turned to the two, his expression soft as he addressed them. “She's asleep now. We will be placing her in a sterile environment for the first part of the procedure. You two should go get some energon and relax, this will take a while. I will contact you as soon as she is out.”

“No!” Illusory almost shouted. “I will not leave her!”

“Illusory,” Ratchet spoke softly, but firmly. “You do not have a choice at this point. It is very critical that she be in a sterile environment, and your frame is full of contaminants. It is for her well being. Trust me, if anything happens, I will let you know immediately.”

Scatterblade tightened his hold on the femme. “Come on. She’ll be alright. We won’t go far,” he tried to reassure her, feeling the slight tremors running through her frame.

However, the femme would not be moved as she watched Charlie be transported to the sterile room, her spark full of anxiety. “She will be fine,” she repeated to herself, though it was obvious she wasn't entirely buying it. “Primus,” she breathed, “I should have never thought of this.”

Since he couldn’t pull her away, Scatterblade instead moved in front of her, holding her shoulders and looking her in the optics to be sure he had her complete attention. “Hey. Tell me what I can do? How can I distract you?” His spark ached seeing the panic clearly laced through her golden yellow optics.

Illusory vented. “I...I am not sure. Something that will keep my processor occupied?” She shrugged. Now that her line of sight was blocked, she felt entirely helpless.

The mech joined in venting feeling rather out of sorts. He was never really good at coming up with things to do. “Let’s start with some energon.” he said trying to lead her out of the med bay.

It wasn't hard to lead her away now, Illusory no longer felt she had to stay where she was. “Sure,” she agreed distractedly.

As they walked, a few 'bots made their appearances. Most notably Sideswipe and Sunstreaker in full-on retreat mode. The grins on their faces clearly marking the misdeed they had done.

Prowl and Jazz appeared, conversing about something that Prowl seemed to take most seriously while Jazz seemed very jaded toward it.

Ironhide was lingering around the central hub, looking as though he had nothing useful to do, but had a wary optic tracking the twins' retreat.

Scatterblade wasn’t sure who to go to for energon. He immediately thought of going to see if Ironhide knew but eventually went against it. Illusory was hurting enough already, there was no need to put her so close to a mech he knew made her intensely uncomfortable. Since Illusory knew Jazz the younger mech thought it might be good for her to see a familiar face. He greeted the two mechs when he saw a break in their conversation. “Am I interrupting?” He asked politely.

“Not at all!” Jazz eagerly greeted the two, looking as though he was more than grateful for the distraction. “Good ta see ya, 'Blade, 'Lu.”

“You have brought the human girl for repairs, I assume?” Prowl said by way of greeting.

“Yes,” Illusory glanced back the way they had come, her doubt rising again.

Jazz recognized her fear immediately and proceeded to throw his arm around her shoulder. “Hey, kid. Ratchet's th' best, remember?”

“So his records say, but...”

“An' he has Wheeljack ta help him, who's th' top-notch scientist on this side o' th' 'verse.” 

“Still...”

“An' Jolt, an' First Aid, an tha's not even ta get inta th' human medical staff! They're amazin'.” 

“But...” 

“'Lu, really. Ya gotta have some trust in someone.” The mech gave her a rather serious, sideways look.

“I...do,”she stammered finally. She trusted Jazz, and she trusted Scatterblade, and they trusted Ratchet – whom she had reason to trust as well – so that meant she had to trust in him. 

“Come on,” the mech shoved her lightly to make her stumble a little. “Where ya two headed?”

“We’re trying to find some energon. Ratchet’s orders,” Scatterblade said with a little bit of sarcasm. “Good distraction too.” 

“Ah,” Jazz got a very mischievous gleam to his optics. “Energon an' distraction...both can be found in th' same place, iffin' ya know where ta look.” 

Scatterblade shook his head frantically. “It wasn’t like that at all! Just...we needed to...” he clammed up and glared at Jazz. Jazz just laughed at the mech's reaction.

“Jazz,” Prowl warned. 

The saboteur just waved off the other mech. “Come on, Ah'll join ya.”

“Jazz!” This time Prowl would not be ignored. “We have not finished with the reports Defense Secretary Keller requested.” 

“He gave us three orns, Prowl.” 

“The sooner we complete the task...”

“Three,” the mech held up three of his own digits, “an' he just requested it taday. Boss 'Bot ain't even cleared it yet! Take uh break Prowler, it won't kill ya.” 

Illusory watched the exchange with amusement. She had heard plenty about the Autobot tactical officer, but she had never truly believed all of the rumors. Now she knew it to be, at least partially, true; and on top of that, the way Jazz interacted with him was just...fun.

“Come on. Ah'll show ya where ta find some energon. Might even be able ta talk Sides outta some o' his stash, if ya want somethin' uh little more...”

“Absolutely not!” Prowl glared at Jazz, his disapproval more than just in his voice. “We do not treat guests with debauchery and discord.” The mech vented harshly. “The energon rations are dispensed in the recreational building; this way.” 

With that Prowl lead the group, Jazz eagerly following behind, looking very much like he had just won some unknown war.

Once the pair were a little distanced from their escorts, Illusory turned to Scatterblade. “Is this...normal?”

“I’m not an expert,” the younger mech laughed, “but from what I know it is.”

“Ookay...” the femme looked a little disturbed. 

The group entered the recreational building to find it mostly abandoned.

“Most everyone's on patrol,” Jazz explained as he lead the way to the dispensary. He gathered the rations and offered them to each in turn. “Ya sure ya don't want somethin' stronger?” He asked Illusory and Scatterblade. 

“I do not think that would be a good idea,” the femme declined politely. 

“No, thank you,” Scatterblade shook his head. “Havn’t touched that stuff in vorns.”

“Ah, suit yerselves,” he smiled as he turned to find a seat. “So, what shall we do?”

“ Why do I have the distinct feeling you are up to something?” Illusory challenged as she followed the saboteur. **  
**

Jazz feigned offense. “Meh?” **  
**

“Always,” Prowl interjected as he sat beside the silver mech. “It is best to keep your guard up and your optics sharp around him.”

“Hey,” the saboteur snapped, turning on Prowl, “what about all that 'not treatin' guests with discord' slag?” 

“It isn't slag when it is truth. I am simply giving a fair warning.” 

“Wait what’s going on?” Scatterblade asked Illusory, now confused.

“I am not entirely sure,” Illusory responded as she watched the two. “I believe Prowl is implying that Jazz may have intentions of leading us to trouble.” 

“ Ah would never do such uh thing,” Jazz stated with a charming smile. **  
**

“ Hn,” Illusory suspected otherwise.  **  
**

The younger mech simply shook his head promising to himself he would keep an optic on the silver ‘bot.

The four chatted for a while before more came to join them. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker slipped into the recreational room rather quietly for their usual selves. They looked a little worse for wear, but no less satisfied with themselves for whatever they had done. Joining the four already seated, Sideswipe produced a few cubes of energon that didn't look quite right, a little too bright, a little too blue.

He offered everyone some, though Illusory and Prowl turned him down immediately. Jazz happily accepted.

Scatterblade couldn’t keep the curiosity from his optics though he didn’t accept or decline. “That doesn’t look like any high-grade I’ve ever seen before,” he commented. 

“ Oh,” Sideswipe assured him, “it isn't, believe me.” He offered the cube a little more insistently. “Try some, you won't regret it.” 

Scatterbalde eyed the cube distrustfully, “I think I’ll pass. I’ve been doing really well staying really far away from high-grade.”

“ Aw, one sip won't hurt,” the silver front-liner tempted. “Come on, you've dealt with far tougher stuff than a little high-grade.”

“ Sideswipe,” Prowl stated rather sternly. “Is that legal?”

The mech studied Prowl for a good klik before he withdrew the cube and tucked it away. “Of course it is,” he stated just as sternly, though he would not make optic contact with the mech. 

Scatterblade chuckled at the twin's reprimand, suspecting Sideswipe was lying.

A while more passed before Prowl departed to see to his work. Jazz teased him about being more addicted to his paperwork than any high-grade drinker he had ever known, but Prowl ignored him.

A few more 'bots drifted in and out as the time passed, keeping those that were there occupied. The distractions worked for a time, but as the hours pressed on, Illusory became worried.

“Why is it taking so long?” She asked, though not to anyone in particular.

Scatterblade put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s delicate. They’re taking their time and being careful. Does that help?”

Illusory patted the hand on her shoulder. “I...yes,” she said after only a moments hesitation. It didn't help with her worry, but it did help with her thought process. “I hope they are done soon.”

“ Yeah,” he agreed softly, “I hope so too. Maybe we could walk by the med bay to see if there’s an update.”

The femme practically jumped out of her chair. “I would like that very much.” 

Scatterblade chuckled, waving his hand for her to lead the way. “If you don’t go first I may get run over.”

Illusory smiled but hardly took note of the comment as she lead the way out the door and to the med bay, though as they approached she became nervous. Scatterblade made sure to stay close to the femme. They stopped in front of the doors, Illusory clearly hesitant.

Scatterblade glanced over to her, waiting to see what she would do. “You gonna be okay?”

She nodded, though inside she thought she might fall apart from nerves. “I just want so badly to see her.”

“ Too bad there isn’t an observing window,” he vented. He paused and turned to her, “Did you see a window while we were in there?”

“ I...think maybe there was.” She eagerly pushed open the doors and started looking around the med bay. Down the hall the medics had taken Charlie, there were a few rooms with glass windows looking over them. Tentatively, she began down the hall, peeking through the windows, both hoping and dreading that she would see the medics working on Charlie.

Scatterblade saw her nervousness and hesitation. “Want me to check it out first?”

Venting softly, the femme nodded. 

Scatterblade had to look through several windows before he found the right one. He watched for a few seconds before snapping himself away and gesturing for Illusory to come to the window. 

She followed the mech tentatively. Illusory really did want to see Charlie, but she was afraid as to what she was about to see. She was used to seeing 'bots in repair; though it still made her uncomfortable – she even made repairs herself when she had to – but humans were so different. What would it be like?

She was tempted to look it up, but found she just didn't want to know if she didn't have to. As she approached the window, she closed her optics until she was fully in front of it, then slowly opened them. 

The Doctors had the woman covered. Her hair was up in a surgeon’s hairnet her face covered with an oxygen mask. Her right arm was obscured by the doctors and the rest of her was covered by a green sterile sheet. The Doctors were working quickly and efficiently.

The sight of the blood had been different and alarming to Scatterblade at first, holding the mech enraptured until he had remembered Illusory was waiting.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly Ratchet adding input when he needed to.

Illusory felt weak at the sight of the human's blood. She grabbed at the wall to help keep herself steady. “Primus,” she breathed. Still, the machines that kept recording Charlie's vitals were encouraging. They were all steady and no one looked alarmed.

Scatterblade put an arm around her to steady her. 

The femme accepted the support. She couldn't tear her optics away from the sight.

At one point, Ratchet looked up to see the observers. ::Scatterblade,:: he called over a private comm. ::Why is she here?::

::She wanted to see what was going on. She’s not very patient,:: he said trying hard not to grin. 

The medic had a clear look of disapproval on his face, but said nothing else.

Illusory watched, unmoving as they continued to work on the girl. Every once in a while she would shudder with a harsh venting, but otherwise made no sound.

Once the medics started moving away and the nurses began preparing Charlie to move to the recovery room, Illusory became stiff. She was relieved that they were done, but wanted to be with Charlie until she woke up.

“Easy,” the mech said softly ignoring the reproving glare he was still getting from the CMO. “Looks like all she needs now is rest.”

The femme took a deep intake and held it for a while before releasing it. “Right. Rest. She needs lots of rest,” the femme agreed. A few more minutes passed before she turned for the exit. “I think I might have to take Sideswipe up on his offer.”

Scatterblade felt a sequence in his CPU skip. “S-serisouly?” He questioned scrambling after her. 

“ Yes,” she nodded. “I cannot take this stress, and now that Charlie is out of surgery and recovering...I need something to help me relax. High-grade is an excellent relaxant.” The femme continued to march through the base, seeking the silver front-liner twin.

“ Looks like I’m the designated driver on this one,” the mech vented to himself.

The search took some time, but Illusory was determined and eventually her determination paid off. They came upon the mech as he was seemingly headed back to his quarters. 

“Sideswipe!” The femme called as she trotted up to him. “I...may I...please...ask of you a favor?”

The mech seemed surprised that she was approaching him, but his surprise melted away immediately as he looked her over. “What can I do for you?” He asked, tipping his head to the side slightly. 

“ May I please have some of your high-grade?”

At this, Sideswipe gained a rather suspicious look. “Why? You were pretty quick to turn it away earlier.” He looked between the femme and the mech shadowing her questioningly.

“ We just checked up Charlie. She’s out of surgery but she resting, otherwise Illusory would be there,” he said as if that was the simplest explanation. 

“ Oh,” the mech's features softened somewhat as his optics turned back to the femme. “Waiting is always the hardest part.” He patted her on the shoulder before motioning for them both to follow him. “Come on, my place is empty – Sunny's on patrol tonight. It'll be safer and quieter than anywhere else on base.” 

Scatterblade nodded, waiting for Illusory so he could follow her. He was still very unsure of her decision, but it was hers to make and if it helped her calm down he wasn't entirely opposed to it.

The femme looked a little nervous following after Sideswipe, but she was convinced of what she wanted and he had it, so she would follow. So long as Scatterblade was behind her, she was sure nothing bad would happen.

Sideswipe lead them to his and Sunstreaker's quarters. It had been obviously modified, even from the outside. Inside it was spacious – as far as these hangers could be at any rate – and was painted with a Cybertronian landscape from the Golden Age during the off-cycle. The lights were bright in the painting, almost believably casting a glow into the room as a whole. The mech's berths were pushed to the far wall, near each other but not against each other, and the rest of the room was cluttered with random this-and-thats that the mechs had gathered for or from whatever mischief they had been up to.

The mech indicated that they should make themselves comfortable at a small table tucked into a corner while he went to gather some of his stash.   
“How much are you wanting to forget?” He asked as he searched.

“ That strong, huh?” Scatterblade raised his optic ridges. 

“ Heh, you have no idea...” 

“ I just need to relax for a few joors is all,” Illusory said nervously.

“ Alright, mild it is.” The mech came back with a similar concoction to what he had offered before. “Just take it easy, it is pretty strong.” He set the cubes down on the table between the two and produced a cube for himself that was by far brighter than what he had set before them. It's color almost a sickly white. “So, you're really attached to that human femme, huh?”

“ For what little time has passed, definitely. She’s been an awesome friend.” Scatterblade said putting in his two cents and taking up the cube hesitantly. He promised himself only a sip then he would put it down.

Illusory took the cube and took a tentative drink before she could think about it further. The high-grade burned through her system almost too hotly. She choked a little before gaining her composure again. 

Sideswipe chuckled softly at her reaction, knowing she hadn't had much experience with high-grade, let alone anything from his stocks. 

“ She was the first being to attempt befriending me for no purpose other than friendship since...” she seemed to drift off with the thought. “She was an innocent that became harmed because of me.” She finished almost angrily before taking another drink. She didn't choke quite as much this time. 

“ Take it easy there,” Sideswipe warned.

Scatterblade took a small taste and tried to shake it from his head. “Wow.” He put the cube down. He glanced at Illusory and saw her faring it pretty well though the warning from the front-liner made him tense. 

“ You can't think like that femme, you'll drive yourself to glitching,” Sideswipe said as he took a heavy drink of his own high-grade. “You have to let things go.”

The black mech snorted silently. 'Ain’t that true,' he thought. 

Illusory shook her head a little more violently than needed. “I can't do that,” she almost growled. “I can't forget. I won't!”

Illusory's response struck Sideswipe as curious, was she really just talking about Charlie? “Forget what?”

Pondering the question, the femme sipped at her drink again. She could already feel it's affects in her systems and it was nice. “Any o' it.” She tipped the remains within the cube to make it swirl up the edges. “Too many innocents that've died...”

“ It's war,” Sideswipe stated. 

“ It ain't fair!” The femme growled. “It ain't fair,” she repeated more morosely.

Scatterblade nodded to both his fellow front-liner and friend. “Both are true. You just can’t let yourself get lost in the last part.”

Illusory groaned miserably, studying her drink. 

Sideswipe watched her for a moment, then seemed to catch onto her train of though. “Don't!” He reached for the cube just a klik too late as the femme downed the rest of the high-grade. “Oh, you really shouldn't have done that,” the mech groaned getting up from the table. He went to the door and locked it, then found a bucket and set it next to the femme. “Might as well settle in for the long haul.”

Scatterblade had also made a move for the cube, but was too slow. He winced knowing this wasn't going to go well. He noted the locked door and a thought occurred to him. “What about Sunstreaker.”

“ Won't be back until morning,” he assured the mech.

Illusory looked at the bucket, confused. “What's that supposed to be for?” She challenged the front-liner.

“ Trust me, you'll need it,” he said with complete confidence. 

“Oh, slag,” Scatterblade groaned in sympathy. “We’re gonna be in here a while aren’t we?”

“ Yeah,” the front-liner sighed. “Shoulda snuck some of the medical high-grade, would have been a better choice.” **  
**

“Ah'm just fine,” Illusory argued, though her movements showed signs of the high-grade. 

“Sure you are,” Sideswipe smiled for her, then looked at Scatterblade with sympathy. “Sorry, guess I thought she'd take it slow.” 

Scatterblade chuckled shaking his head. “Should have had an idea that she wouldn’t.”

“Guess so, but at least now she'll get through the waiting.”

At that Illusory made to argue, but found that her tanks were churning and a moment later she found use of the bucket Sideswipe had provided her. 

“Told you,” the silver mech chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

“That and a processor ache.”

“Probably,” the mech said with a somewhat haunted look. “Sometimes it's a very small price to pay for a few joors of peace.” He vented, waiting for Illusory to be finished purging before he scooped her up and took her to one of the berths. “Sleep it off femme,” he instructed softly, then returned to the table with Scatterblade. “Assuming she goes into recharge, this might not be such a bad night after all,” he said rather happily as he sat down. “Feel like a game?” He activated a small game-board on the table, a common game of chance.

“Sure,” the mech said after tearing his optics away from the femme. 

Sideswipe watched the mech's actions for a moment as the game finished setting up. “You like her?” 

He nodded. Then his processor caught up to him, “I mean, yeah. A-as a friend.” he said quickly. 

“Uh huh,” he said doubtfully as he made his move. “You sure about that? Cause there's a few mechs on base that've had their optics on her.” 

Scatterblade eyed the silver mech at first with a angry glare then it softened to suspicion. “I thought no one trusted her,” he said guardedly.

“Trust and attraction don't always run the same path. For some, not trusting someone can make a possible mate more attractive.” 

“Whoa! Whoa! Back it up,” the mech had just thrown him a curve ball. “You seriously just said that?”

Sideswipe laughed. “Yeah, I did. Its true!”

“What’s true?”

“Think about it. We're in war, trust is really a luxury that a lot of us have learned to live without.”

“O-kay, and you’re going where with this?”

“Just pointing out that if you have any interest in her, you'd better act on it.” He studied the mech across from him for a moment. “She's a really nice femme; those are hard to come by these days.”

Scatterblade opened his mouth to protest but he waved it off. He’d never thought about it before and he certainly hadn’t thought about it back when he had run into her. “I almost didn’t think she was real when I first met her,” he realized aloud, then looked up at the silver 'bot, a sad but stern expression on his faceplates. “War is not the time to be looking for someone.”

“But war is the time when some of us really need someone, don't you think?” He glanced meaningfully over at the recharging femme. She looked so peaceful in her recharge, despite the fact she had just purged her tanks and was likely so overcharged her processor couldn't put two and two together.

Scatterblade followed his gaze. He did like Illusory, she was...unique. Not very similar to himself at all but... 'Yeah, follow that train of thought for a klik,' he scolded himself. 'Put them next to each other and you have two very huge opposites.' Would they be able to live with each other? Well, they had managed it so far...

He vented, shaking his head. There were still ‘Cons after him. “I can’t put her through that,” he mumbled his thoughts aloud for the second time.

“That's fair,” Sideswipe agreed, turning his attention back to the game at hand. “So...” he tempted slyly, “you wouldn't mind if someone else took a chance with her?”

He gave the front-liner a deadpanned look. "Ha ha ha," he said slowly.

“Doesn't hurt to ask.” The mech shrugged.

Scatterblade rolled his optics and turned his attention to the game as well.

The game went on for about a joor before the mechs were disturbed by a loud crash and an annoyed grunt.

Illusory struggled to gain control of her limbs, but her coordination was so askew she couldn't quite manage to get to her feet.

Sideswipe stood to go help her but Scatterblade beat him to it. For his bulk he had moved pretty quickly. He pulled her up gently. “Hey, you okay?”

“My legs don't work,” she said dazedly. “Why don't my legs work? Am I broken?”

Scatterblade couldn’t help but chuckle as he lifted her to the berth. “You had some high-grade, remember? Things are gonna be a bit confusing for a while.”

“Why?” She asked simply as she settled back on the berth.

Scatterblade was about to remind her why she had felt the need to indulge, but a rare burst of forethought came to him. Instead, he sent a comm to Ratchet. ::How’s Charlie doing?::

::Very well, she woke a little while ago, but she isn't coherent yet.::

::That’s great. We’ll stop by a little later,:: he said looking to Illusory, then reconsidered. ::Or much later. Illusory dozed off and is still pretty tired. Slipped her processor and was wondering if I should remind her.::

::That doesn't sound right. Is she functioning alright?::

::Yes she is,:: he smirked, ::she’s relaxing.::

::Oh, good. I was concerned for her stress levels.::

::She’s not stressed one bit right now,:: he assured the medic before signing off. “Try and get some more recharge,” he said to her. 

“But Ah'm not sleepy,” she argued even as she laid back down halfway into recharge as it was. 

“Sure you’re not,” he chuckled then walked back to the game.

“She alright?” Sideswipe asked, settling back into his seat. 

“Just fell off the berth,” he tried and failed to hide his chuckle. “She’ll be fine.”

Sideswipe smiled amused. “Poor femme.”

 


	20. Event Twenty

Event Twenty

~

_Past...present...future...all illusions shattered by the next and the previous._

~

 

She hated having to get up early. Classes before eight AM should be illegal. Languidly stretching her legs trying not to pull that muscle in her foot that she had a knack for doing first thing in the morning, she pondered the odd feeling of the bed she was on. It didn't seem right. Then she stretched her arms and tried to roll her wrists, for some reason her right arm wasn’t cooperating.

Charlie struggled to pull her eyes open. 'Man that was little harder than usual,' she thought to herself. Looking over her arm to figure out why it was causing her such problems she noted that it looked different. Then her brain kicked finally in. The accident that took her arm, all the pain and fear. That’s when she screamed.

***

Illusory wasn't entirely sure what had woken her, nor did she know where she was when she leaped from the berth she had apparently been laying on. What she did register was that the door was locked and she couldn't figure out how to open it.   
“Hey!” A strange voice called to her and scared her.   
“Let me out!” She shouted, pounding on the door that refused to open.   
“Illusory!” Scatterblade hurried to help her, concern heavy in his voice. “Hey, what’s wrong?”  
She attempted to focus on the second voice. She knew that one, but her processor was so fuzzy, she just couldn't make the connection. “Ah need ta get out,” she begged, “help me, please!”  
“Whoa. Hang on. You need to wake up a little bit more,” he said trying to steady her.  
The femme stumbled a bit but tried to listen. “But...” something had woken her, she knew she was going somewhere for some reason, but where?  
“Come on,” Sideswipe coached, pulling a chair out for her to sit in. “You're still overcharged, you probably shouldn't be running around.”  
“But...” she argued again, looking at the door as though it would remind her why she was trying to leave in the first place. She looked around, confusedly, searching for something. “Where's Charlie?” She finally asked, realizing that was what she had been looking for.   
Scatterblade was about to answer but then he heard a sound that went straight through his processor and directly to his spark. It was soft from here, but he could tell that at it's source it was likely near deafening. “What was that? Did you hear that?” He turned to the two just in time to be nearly bowled over by the femme he had directed toward Sideswipe.  
“Charlie!” Illusory charged the door again, pulling and pushing on it, still unable to comprehend the lock.  
Scatterblade helped her with simple mechanism, then hurried toward the med bay falling to his alt mode. ::Come on!:: He encouraged her to follow him.  
The femme followed Scatterblade, taking to her alt mode as well, though she did not drive very straight and corners seemed a complete catastrophe as she slid around them, but eventually they made it to the med bay. Illusory leaped into her bipedal mode long before Scatterblade and managed to move past him, crashing through the doors – quite literally.  
The mech found himself surprised to be suddenly overtaken by the femme. 'Slag, how’d she get in front of me?' He wondered with astonishment. Pit but she was quick, even still overcharged.

With the screams getting louder with each new round he pushed his thoughts to the back of his processor. Why the Pit weren’t there more ‘bots and doctors rushing to help her? He got a few doors down the hallway before he realized they had no idea where they were going though it didn’t deter their progress one bit.  
Illusory followed the sound, crashing into doorways or objects that were in her way, but she pushed on. Soon, the ruckus she was creating drew some attention as Jolt rushed to the hallways she was crashing through. “What's going on here? What are you doing?”  
“Charlie’s freaking out. Where is everyone?” Scatterblade demanded, keeping the medic from Illusory’s search.   
“They are trying to calm her down,” he assured the mech, trying to follow after Illusory. “Why is she hitting everything?”  
Illusory finally found the appropriate door and pushed through it, stumbling as she started to lose her footing. “Charlie? Charlie I'm here!”  
Scatterblade hurried after her, catching her at the last second to help her stay on her feet. “Illusory be careful.”  
Charlie had her head covered with her arms. She was trying to drown out all the people trying to calm her down. The young woman finally pulled her arms away from her head. Red puffy eyes searched out the two familiar voices. When she caught site of the black and white ‘bots she put her head in her hands. She had been trying to calm down and the sight of familiar faces was making it quicker. If they were here, she was safe. She knew they wouldn't let anything happen to her. She finally looked up again and gave a feeble smile.   
Illusory collapsed beside the bed Charlie was in, not disturbing the bed itself, but it was clear she wanted to scoop the human up. “Ah'm sorry Ah wasn't here when ya woke up, Charlie.”  
Scatterblade watched on a little worried for the femme. Charlie shook her head. “I’m okay. Just a little...little surprised. Disoriented. It’s okay,” she smiled up at the two of them.  
The femme looked over the girl, happy to see her again – especially awake and moving. “How-how's yer arm?” She stumbled over the words a little. Now that her original anxiety was gone, she was feeling tired and the detachment of her body and processor becoming more acute. 'Definitely overcharged,' she realized.  
Charlie looked down at it and sighed, “It’s...really weird. I can lift it,” she laughed weakly.   
“Good, that's uh start at least. Did they tell ya how long it might be 'til ya can use it right?”  
“Not really. I...just got up,” she said sheepishly.  
“Oh, right...right...sorry, Ah should know that.” Illusory shook her head a little, regretting the move as the world tipped sideways.  
Scatterblade moved in and kept a steady hold on her shoulders to keep her upright.  
Charlie’s face filled with concern at the odd lack of grace the femme had suddenly aquired. “Are _you_ okay?”  
“Ah'm just fine, don't ya worry 'bout meh,” the femme smiled sweetly. She patted Scatterblade's hand gratefully. “Maybeh Ah'm just not too steady, that's all.”  
Charlie’s grin widened as she looked up at the black mech. “You take care of her okay? I think I have to chat with the doctors for a bit, now that I'm done screaming at them.” She said glancing back at the other group somewhat apologetic.  
The mech chuckled grinning back to the human. “I will,” he promised, pulling Illusory to her feet. “Come on. They’ll let us know when we can come back.”  
“Ah dun wanna,” she protested weakly as the mech helped her away, though her fight was only in words, her frame simply wasn't up to it.  
“I know you don’t,” he grunted as he lifted her to her feet and guided her to the door. He looked back at Charlie and she waved to him...with her right hand. She looked back at it with curiosity and hope and that made Scatterblade grin all the wider.   
The femme struggled to stay on her feet, though she didn't have to depend too heavily on the mech aside from maintaining her sense of direction. “Why am Ah so...” she waved her hand in front of her face, “so...” she stumbled a bit as she tried to find the word she was looking for. “What was in tha' high-grade?” She finally settled on her question.   
The front-liner laughed, “Overcharged? Drunk is what I think the humans call it.” He shook his head as he considered her second question. “I have no idea. Sideswipe would know more than me.”  
After they made it some distance, the femme started to sag against the front-liner. “Ah just wanna sit fer uh bit,” she mumbled as she tried to find her way to the ground.  
Scatterblade grunted in agreement and lowered them both to ground. “You’re still really out of it. Went into recharge for a long time too.”  
“Sorry,” she apologized as she made herself comfortable. “Ah knew better...really Ah did...Ah just wanted ta ferget fer uh little bit.” She vented softly, resting her head on one knee.  
He put a hand on her back plates comfortingly. “I know. You don’t have to say sorry.”  
“But Ah am...Ah shouldn't'a put this burden on ya.” She leaned into him a little. “Yer so nice ta meh.”  
“It’s not a burden,” he said softly wrapping his arm further around her.   
“Thanks,” she mumbled as she began to relax. Really, though she knew she was going to regret it, the high-grade still running through her felt very nice; warming all of her internals and relaxing all of her tension cables. It was like recharge, only with a lingering sickness just on the edge of her awareness.  
Scatterblade kept a good grip on her so that she wouldn’t fall over. He tried hard not to read into what she was saying and what she was doing. She was overcharged, it wasn’t really her talking, but he enjoyed what was there nonetheless.  
It was a good long while before Illusory moved, groaning miserably. “Primus,” she shivered slightly. The high-grade was starting to wear off and the regret starting to sit in. “Ah think Ah'm gonna purge...” she struggled to get to her feet, finding her limbs to be more tangled than she thought.   
Scatterblade pushed her up and helped her figure out how to get untangled.  
The femme was able to make it a small distance before her systems would have no more of it and she was forced to purge what remained in her tanks. When she was done, she moved away from the partially processed liquid and laid down. “Never again,” she stated rather firmly.   
“One time hasn’t killed ya and now we’ve learned not to trust Sideswipe and Sunstreaker’s concoctions,” Scatterblade grinned.   
“Hey,” a new voice stated in defense, “my high-grade is some of the best you'll ever find.” Sideswipe came up beside the two. Despite his defensive statement, he looked a little concerned for the femme. “You alright?”

Illusory shook her head 'no' before trying to glare up at the mech. “Ya coulda warned meh...”

“Oh, I tried, femme. You were just a hair too quick for me though,” he laughed, patting her helm gently. “I just wanted to make sure Scatterblade here caught up with you and that you were okay. I suppose maybe next time we should plan on diluting your high-grade a little more...or maybe you should think twice before taking it like a shooter.”

Illusory rolled her optics slightly, though she regretted it as that caused pain to lace through her processor. “Shut up, slagger...” she groaned.

The mech only laughed more. He spared Scatterblade a semi-sympathetic, semi-mischievous glance before heading on his way. “Take care,” he waved over his shoulder.

Scatterblade glared at the twin half heartedly before turning his attention back to Illusory. “Gonna recharge again?” He asked softly.

The femme vented. “Ah've recharged enough for two orns by now,” she gathered herself back into a comfortable sitting position.  
Scatterblade laughed. “Yeah, probably.”  
“What do ya think about, 'blade?” She asked rather suddenly, distractedly. “When ya have th' time ta just...think...what do ya think about?”  
Her question startled the mech and he shuttered his optics a few times to process the question. He wasn’t much of a thinker to begin with. He stuttered a bit trying to form some coherent response. “I-I -I don’t know. I- I ... Sometimes it’s just ...past friends. The good times,” he said simply. “What about you?”  
“Home,” she said, looking out over the empty desert. “Th' one Ah lost, th' ones Ah've had...th' one Ah'm always lookin' for.” She laughed softly. “Stupid Ah know...should just be happy with what Ah got, right?”  
“It’s not stupid,” he said shaking his head, “It’s good to know you can still dream.”  
“Will it always be uh dream though?” Shaking her head and waving her hand dismissively, the femme got to her feet. She was a little wobbly, but seemed to be regaining her equilibrium. “Never mind. I do not really want an answer to that.”   
Scatterblade joined her and helped to steady her. He nodded. “Where you headed?”  
“I do not really know,” she said as she tested her legs; they seemed stable enough. “Walking?”  
The mech nodded, indicating that he was more than willing to follow after her.  
They walked for a long time, Illusory just looked off into the distance, her processor slowly coming back to its rightful functions. She was embarrassed with herself and how she had handled the high-grade, but she put that aside. There was nothing to be done for it now. She was thankful for the lack of lecture from Scatterblade, and his willingness to stay beside her despite her foolishness. He really was a good mech. 'If there was no war,' she thought to herself, 'would we have ever met?' It was almost a disturbing thought at this point. She enjoyed the mech's company so much she couldn't imagine being without him. Did she actually want to put their meeting solely up to the war? 'No,' she decided stubbornly. 'We were meant to meet.' She was sure of it. Somehow.  
Scatterblade didn’t really care where they were walking. As long as he was allowed to he would follow her anywhere. As long as he had strength enough to walk, he would be there for her. The twin’s words kept pestering him. Could this really be a good time to figure it all out? Should he risk it? He knew what could happen if a...bonded pair were separated by death. Could he handle that pain? Could she? He had far too many questions and not enough courage to have them answered.  
The femme stopped as they reached a point where they could see the sun starting to peek over the horizon and she studied it. She had watched several sunrises since she had come to Earth, but something about this one felt different. Like maybe there was something hiding just beyond the horizon beckoning them to move forward.   
Scatterblade watched the femme closely. Then he studied the spot where she was looking. “You see something?”   
She shook her head, but her optics didn't leave the scene. “It is lovely,” she said as explanation.   
“It is pretty. Gorgeous,” he added watching the reds and oranges melt together.

They stood in silence watching the sun make it's trek into the sky.  
***

Ratchet studied the small human as she investigated her new arm. “How does it feel?” He asked.

“Heavy. I keep trying to move the fingers but I don’t think we’re quit there just yet.”  
“Hm, it may take some time for you to adjust. Let me see if I can help you.” The medic settled beside the human and took her small hand between two fingers gently, then he flexed the digits for her. “Can you feel this?”  
Charlie flinched at the action. “Whoa. Yeah. How can I feel anything?” She asked with wonder, touching her new hand curiously.  
“We connected the sensor net to your nerve center in your arm. Some of the sensations may be a little off, but on the whole, you should retain a mostly normal sense of touch, texture, and temperature. In some cases they may be more acute, as our systems are designed to obtain more information than your natural systems are, but whether or not you will adapt to that is not for sure.” Ratchet continued to force the arm through basic motions, encouraging Charlie to try the motions herself once she felt what it was like in hopes that what the humans called 'muscle memory' would start to develop.  
She moved her fingers, not really understanding much of what the medic was telling her. She wasn’t the best at science in school, but she thought she gathered enough from what he said to know that she would be almost normal again.

The movements were starting to feel less awkward the more she practiced. Ratchet's help seemed to make the world of difference in her attempts. “It’s almost like my real arm. Except...metallic and I can see all the components.” She looked at where her arm connected just below her elbow. She laughed as she studied the still human part of her limb. “I still have my hyper extension problem.”

The CMO studied the girl's joint with some interest. “Does it bother you?”

“No,” she said with a grin still looking at it, “It happened when I was seventeen. Fractured the radial head in my elbow. Just glad it’s still there. Makes it all seem...more real.”

“Very well.” After some time, the mech grabbed a few small objects and had Charlie try to grip them, lift them, and move them around as much as she was able, until she became confident in the movements of her new limb.

“I wonder if I had this much trouble as a kid,” she laughed at her failings with the objects. She kept at it and soon was able to complete the tasks the robot was helping her with.  
“I would say you are adjusting rather quickly. Reports on human relearning therapies show progress can be quite slow, even when there is no real damage to the muscles; yet here you are completing simple tasks within just a joor of waking from surgery. You should be proud of yourself.” The medic was pleased as well, though he was already seeing places that would need further attention later on, for now, he would let her enjoy her new limb.  
She beamed brightly at the compliment. “Was always a quick learning,” she said more to herself than anything else, still studying and rotating her arm. She wiggled and flexed the palm. It vaguely reminded her of Luke Skywalker’s robotic hand, the pop culture reference causing her to chuckle slightly.  
The medic smiled happily at her. “Well, I think that is enough for today. You need nutrient and rest. Preferably in that order. I will have someone deliver food to you here.”  
Charlie suppressed a laugh. She normally skipped the whole eating thing to begin with this time of day, but she was hardly in a position to argue with a doctor that was several times her size. “Thanks Doc,” she offered.  
With a soft chuckle to himself, the CMO left the room. His first stop was to ask one of the human staff members to retrieve a meal for Charlie. Then he set to a few other minor tasks before beginning what he was sure was to be his next great challenge. ::Illusory, I would appreciate it if you would come see me so I can repair your outer over-armor shielding.::   
Illusory grew almost violently stiff at the private com. ::Uh...now?::   
::Yes.::  
::Can't it wait?::  
::Until when?::  
The femme looked around desperately for some kind of answer that she might give the medic. She was pretty sure that 'never' wasn't going to be an acceptable response. ::Later...:: she said dumbly.   
::Scatterblade,:: the medic called over an open link, ::please escort Illusory to the med bay for repairs. I will check on you while you're here.::  
Groaning inwardly at the order, Scatterblade responded quickly. ::On our way,:: he said, albeit reluctantly. He stood offering his hand to the downed femme.  
“You are so compliant...” she grumbled softly, but took the offered hand anyway. “It is just cosmetic, nothing serious. Why does it matter?” She continued mumbling.  
The mech chuckled silently at her complaints. “It’s in my programing,” he offered as a lame explanation. “Come on. We’ll be in and out and then we’ll go visit Charlie,” he added knowing he’d get a more positive response.  
“Yeah,” she vented softly, “I would like that.”  
Together they walked to the med bay, Illusory began dragging her feet the closer she got. She wasn't really sure why, herself. It wasn't like she was facing anything seriously painful – uncomfortable at best – and the medic had done wonderful things for her, Scatterblade, and Charlie. What was her issue? 'I'm starting to trust him,' she realized.   
She had never held much trust for medics. She had even spent a large portion of her later youngling life avoiding them completely. There was just something shady about them; but Ratchet was different. He was very up front and in-your-faceplates about everything. There was nothing not to trust. Scatterblade wanted to urge her along gently but he let her take her time. He pushed open the med bay doors and walked toward the medic's office. He knocked on the open door as he entered. “Hi Ratchet,” he greeted.   
“Hello, Scatterblade.” He glanced behind the mech to see the femme hanging back somewhat. “Thank you for bringing Illusory. This shouldn't take very long.”

Illusory glared at Ratchet as he approached, but the mech seemed impervious to her stare. “Please have a seat, Illusory. I already have everything ready for you.”   
“I am sure you do,” the femme gripped quietly.  
Scatterblade elbowed her softly and sent her a reproachful look but couldn’t keep his grin off his faceplates. He much preferred the fire in her than fear.   
The femme huffed somewhat indignantly, but she sat as she was instructed and didn't fidget as Ratchet began the repairs.  
However; partially through the process, the mech stopped. “Did you get energon like I instructed?”  
“Yes,” Illusory growled.   
“Why are your tanks so low?”  
Instantly embarrassed of her poor capability to hold high-grade, Illusory ducked her head low. “I...may have purged a bit...”   
“A bit? You're almost on reserves! What happened?”   
Scatterblade kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t about to rat her out, if she wanted to tell him then she should be allowed the chance to tell him. That and Scatterblade was a tad too nervous about what Ratchet might throw at him if he so much as worded it wrong. Or what kind of reprimand he might receive because he was charged with watching over the femme.  
“Anxiety,” the femme answered shortly. It wasn't a lie; she had sought high-grade to try and help her deal with her raising anxiety. She didn't have to say that the high-grade was the cause of her purge.

Ratchet sat back, studying the femme with a rather confused look. “Anxiety? About what?”   
“Charlie.”   
“Why didn't you tell someone?”   
She looked at Scatterblade, a faint smile touching her face. “I did.”   
The mech tried hard to keep his grin back. He simply nodded confirming her story.   
With a soft vent, the medic got up and retrieved a cube of medical grade energon. “Drink this.”   
Illusory looked very uncertain of the pale liquid. It didn't have much glow to it at all, but still had the distinct look of energon. “What is it?”  
“It is energon. Medical grade for sensitive systems.” He sat down to resume his work, but paused when the femme didn't start drinking the energon. “It will keep you from going into your reserves before you can get more; and it may help prevent more purging.”   
Scatterblade watched her giving her a nod of encouragement.   
With a glance at the two mechs watching her, the femme sipped at the liquid. She found it to be rather pleasant, especially against her recently purged systems. “Thank you,” she barely whispered.  
“Just drink it all,” Ratchet urged before resuming his work again.  
It wasn't long before the medic was done and moving on to Scatterblade. Illusory sat where she could watch, a faint look of comfortable weariness on her face. She had drank most of the energon, but what was left sat on her leg with one hand clasped loosely around it, practically forgotten. The femme wasn't sure why she felt so nice, but she wasn't going to argue it.   
Scatterblade groaned inwardly but joined the medic to be looked over. Something came back to him as the medic did what preliminary work he needed to do. “Hey, Ratchet. I don’t think it’s much of a problem right now, enough time has passed, but I never did figure out how to keep the...pretender from, um...leeching off me.” No matter how much time passed he would never feel right about the altered part of himself that felt so very wrong.  
Ratchet didn't pause in his work as he considered the problem. “I can't say I fully understand the design of it, but it's likely that the pretender doesn't have a storage unit. Perhaps Wheeljack can design a portable one that will fit it for the time being.”   
Scatterblade felt his tanks lurch. “Let me put this into perspective. It’s still...a part of me. It has my components and circuitry and...” he felt he was rambling and paused. “I don’t think it’s that simple to figure out.”  
The medic finished his work and moved to a more comfortable conversing position. “It's part of you, but it's leeching off of you?” Ratchet thought on the prospect for a moment. “How long can you remain apart?”  
Scatterblade thought for a nanoklik. “The longest time was...five joors, if i remember correctly. Once it came back...together with me, I was exhausted. It sort of drained me to charge itself back up. Now it’s not a problem because we’re both fine. I haven't used it in a while.”  
“Hm. Are you both active when separate?”  
“Yes, but it takes a lot of concentration to use the pretender. Seeing two different things gives me a processor-ache,” he chuckled.   
“I can only imagine. Can the pretender be shut down while you are separate?”   
“I’ve...never tried it before,” he said truthfully. In the early days he had though of just destroying it, but it was still a part of him. Changed and corrupted for some unknown purpose, but still a piece of him.  
“Well, since I have you here on base and can keep an eye on you, why don't you try it. That way, if it works, Wheeljack and I can study the pretender and see what we can figure out.”   
Scatterblade nodded hesitantly. “Okay. We’ll try it. I think I can get it to work. Want it now or later?”   
“Go ahead and try it now.”   
The mech nodded and started to shift parts around within himself. He always felt like he might fall apart when he did this but he persevered. The pretender was placed near his spark chamber, nearly wrapping around it like some form of twisted, mutated newspark. He had to concentrate on keeping the pretender in stasis as he reached in to pull it out. Even in stasis, the minute it separated from him it changed to look like a human male, exactly mimicking the holoform he had chosen. He felt hollow as his components knit back together. He handled the form gently and held it out for the medic to take.   
Ratchet looked rather astonished with the whole ordeal. He took the pretender form gently in his hands, turning it over to examine it. “How do you feel?”   
Behind the medic, Illusory seemed to finally come around to what was happening. She crept from her seat to stand beside Scatterblade, looking down at the pretender form. “It looks so helpless,” she murmured, reaching out one hand to touch the form.  
Scatterblade shrugged. “Awkward, but it’ll pass. Like I said, we’re both okay as far as recharged and fuel tanks are concerned.”  
“Let me know the instant you feel anything that isn't right, or that is out of the ordinary.” Ratchet tucked the pretender against himself. “You are both free to go...” he grabbed the cube of energon still lingering in Illusory's hand, “as soon as you finish this,” he finished in a tone that allowed no argument.

Scatterblade nodded and glanced over to his companion with a grin.  
Illusory seemed surprised to see the cube, as if she had completely forgotten it's existence. “Oh.” She took it, drinking the rest of the contents easily. “Good enough?”   
“Good enough,” the medic nodded. “You should both watch your energy levels.”   
The mech nodded, “No worries there,” he said waiting for Illusory to lead the way from the room they were in.  
“Can we see Charlie?” The femme asked before the medic had gone far.   
“If she is awake, you may visit with her for a short time, but she does need her rest.”   
Scatterblade gave a quick smile to Illusory, happy that she had been so bold to ask for something she wanted from the medic, and decided to lead the way. Now that they knew what room she would be in, the trip would be less of a handful. He opened the door to her room, instantly spotting the woman on her bed. “Hey, Charlie,” he said upon entering and opening the door for Illusory.  
“Hey guys!” She greeted happily.  
Illusory was so happy to see Charlie, she couldn't keep the full grin from her face. “How are you doing?” She asked as she came to sit beside her, noting that the girl seemed more comfortable – or maybe it was because Illusory was getting her senses back to normal.   
Charlie sat up straighter in her bed. She held up her right arm and wiggled it around. “I’ve been practicing with it. Almost have the whole picking things up without looking. Trying to see what I can feel depending on it’s size and weight,” she said proudly.  
“That is amazing!” Illusory watched the digits move. She wasn't sure what part of it was more amazing; the fact that Charlie had a functional arm again, or the fact that a human now had a Cybertronian arm. Either way, she was relieved, excited and proud.   
“Though I was thinking this was gonna make going to the airport a bit of a hassle,” she chuckled. “I’d get stopped by security every single time.”  
“Why’s that?” Scatterblade asked.  
“Metal detectors,” she pouted.  
“Why would you need to go to the airport?” Illusory asked rather confusedly. “We will simply transport you to where you need to go.”  
“It’s a bit faster to go by plane to get home for Christmas,” Charlie explained with a shrug.   
“I see,” though it was clear the femme really didn't. “I am sure there are ways around that can be found, if the need arises.”   
Charlie nodded. “Yeah you’re right. So you guys keeping busy? Waiting on me must be boring,” she grimaced.   
Scatterblade grunted silently trying not to meet the human’s gaze.  
“Do not even consider it. We can keep ourselves occupied until you are ready.” Illusory looked at Scatterblade, noticing how he kept his optics averted. “There is plenty for us to do here...” she said after a moment.  
Charlie tried and failed to suppress a grin, “O-kay,” she said slowly, glancing between them both.  
Illusory smiled, turning her attention back to the girl. She did her best to hold conversations with Charlie that didn't touch on the subject of what the two 'bots were doing around base, mostly revolving around the thoughts of what the woman's family and friends were going to think of her repaired arm when they got back.   
She had thought about that a lot since she had woken up and shared her thoughts with her alien friends. They would be surprised at first, extremely surprised, but she felt that they would get used to it just like she would. Especially if Wheeljack’s disguise works.   
“Wheeljack is a very good inventor, I am sure his devices will function adequately,” Illusory assured Charlie with far more confidence than the femme herself had. Still, like Ratchet, Wheeljack had done good things for her, gaining her trust whether she liked it or not. 'This is all going to backfire on me,' she scolded herself.  
Scatterblade grinned. Now she was in his place, encouraging their charge that everything would turn out well. Wait. Did he say _their_ charge? 'Oh Primus...' he vented mentally. He was getting it bad.   
The three chatted for a good long time before Jolt came to shoo the 'bots away. “She needs rest,” he scolded. Ratchet had probably gotten on him to check up on the human with very strict instructions.  
Illusory looked very reluctant to leave, but got to her feet anyway. “Rest well, Charlie.”   
Scatterblade reluctantly nodded and stood to leave as well. “Night.”  
“Later guys,” she smiled settled down in her bed.  
Once they were outside of the med bay, Illusory vented and looked over the base with disinterest. “I am amazed at how quickly she is gaining skill with her new arm. This should prove hopeful for the humans.”  
“She’s doing wonderfully,” Scatterblade agreed.   
“How...are you doing?” She asked, sparing him a nervous look.  
“I’m doing okay, so far,” he said trying to be optimistic about the next few joors. They had barely spent a little over half a joor with Charlie, he still had several to go.  
“Good,” Illusory didn't seem entirely relieved, but she accepted the answer for what it was.  
He grinned reassuringly toward her but couldn’t keep the sinking feeling that a storm was about to hit that nobody was prepared for. It was just of what kind that he was unsure of.  
Illusory shifted from foot to foot before heading out a little tentatively. “Feel like walking? I know we have done quite a bit of it as of late; but I just cannot pass up the chance to stand while we have it.”   
His grin turned more genuine at the offer. “Yeah. I understand completely.”  
They walked for a good portion of the afternoon, Illusory finding a few interesting things to climb or to investigate. The last time she had been here, she had not been able to be quite so active, and she was rather enjoying it. Almost like a youngling let loose after too long indoors.   
Scatterblade felt himself relax more and more. It was amazing to him how quickly she could help clear his processor. Even dealing with the pretender earlier, the memories were faded and less painful. She was helping him heal whether she knew it or not.   
Getting rather involved with her new-found freedom; Illusory started racing around, challenging herself to make turns that were barely within her limits – or possibly slightly beyond, ducking under low cliffs, or through tight openings. She was a runner, an escapee, and the chance to stretch her preservation talents was more than a welcome one that she lost herself to.   
Scatterblade laughed hurrying after her. Part of this reminded him of training practices but he pushed that aside. He didn’t want to be thinking about that right now. He focused on trying to catch the femme, bounding over places he wouldn’t be able to fit and sliding around corners she took far more sharply than he could.  
The pursuit thrilled the femme in ways she really hadn't thought being chased could. It was fun, exciting, enjoyable even! There was no fear of being captured because the one chasing her would never hurt her, and she knew it. So instead she decided to take chances, make the chase challenging for the mech but also taking daring dashes through the open land she wouldn't normally take. She was quick, agile, and well suited to this kind of thing, but open spaces were still her biggest weakness.  
The mech had to hand it to the femme. She was fast. Almost too fast for him. Just when he would get close enough to grab her, she would burst ahead or jump into some obstacle he couldn’t go through. It was a great game and he found himself unable to keep the laughter inside.   
Finally wearing down, Illusory missed one of her tight turns, slipping a little and rolling to the ground. Laughing almost hysterically, she just sprawled out and lay there.  
Scatterblade had worn down long before he saw her take the tumble. At first he was concerned and hurried to her his legs a bit on the shaky side, but when he heard her laughing he plopped himself on the ground beside her and let his legs sprawl out. Leaning back, his hands pressed to the earth, he cycled some cool air to relieve his over heated systems. He chuckled pleased with everything. This was something he could definitely get used to.

***

Ratchet studied the immobile pretender carefully. The design was very unique, almost like a symbiote rather than a pretender, but the processor was more along the lines of a drone. The pretender technology was top-notch, but there was just something...off...about the whole thing.

“Maybeh it's got some weapon hidin' in it, er somethin' like that...” Wheeljack pondered as he poked at the thing's exposed wiring. They had pulled all parts from the pretender that they could in an effort to find the cause of the drain on Scatterblade. “Seems ta meh like it's more o' a parasite then anythin'.”

“That's not a good thing. Of course, the Decepticons designed this abomination – I suppose 'good' would be asking way too much.”

“Ha! That's no lie!” The inventor chuckled as they continued to probe the thing.

Just then the whole frame of the small form shuddered.

“What was that?” Wheeljack asked, repeating what he had just done to see if the reaction repeated.

“I don't know,” Ratchet looked over the small form carefully; nothing looked to have gone amiss. ::Scatterblade, status report please.:: He commed the mech, concerned that whatever they had done might have affected him.

::Doing fine,:: he said, though concern was evident in his voice. ::Something up?::

::Just got an odd reaction from the pretender is all. Wanted to make sure it didn't affect you. Everything seems fine.::

::I’m doing okay,:: he assured, though the news struck him a bit odd. He took a moment to really consider Ratchet’s question. He nodded to himself. Yeah, everything was fine.

::Good.:: The medic shook his head, confused by the disconnection between Scatterblade and the pretender. If they were truly connected and meant to function as one being, then why would one not feel the reaction of the other? “Odd,” he noted aloud.

“What?” Wheeljack asked absently, having found something else of minor interest.

“Scatterblade had no response to the pretender's reaction.”

“Huh, maybeh there's some missin' programmin' or somethin'. Or maybeh there's some damage in their connection...anythin' is possible.”

“Hmm, maybe. If that's true, then we should probably wait and see if there will be any backlash to Scatterblade before we continue. If there's a delay, we should take that into consideration.”

Wheeljack nodded, moving away from the pretender with some reluctance. “Yeah, that's true...and you're probably overdue for recharge anyway.”

The medic looked annoyed at the inventor. “Since when did you keep track of my recharge cycles?”

“Since when did ya keep track o' how many times in an orn Ah damaged muhself while workin' on some invention.”

“That's just practical. You don't come to me, so I have to come to you. It's just easier when I know the average amount of time between incidences.”

“And knowin yer recharge cycles is self preservation.”

Ratchet was stunned for a moment. “Touche.”

“Ya go recharge, Ah'll go get some energon an' check on some other things till yer back.”

Ratchet nodded, venting softly to himself. It had been a long orn after all, recharge sounded fantastic.

It was some time before movement came again to the Pretender form. Its optics opened and the figure sat up. Immediately the programing kicked in to disguise itself. It chose a form and dress of one of the male orderlies the other half of it had seen. It jumped down from the table and exited the room. The cloaking activated and the invisible form walked toward the exit of the base. Just as it was about to enter the main halls towards the door, it paused. Changing course it headed for a room down the hall in the opposite direction. To the room with the red haired human.

***

Once Illusory had time for her systems to cool down, she sat up and took in the mech beside her. She instantly noted his look of concern. “Is something wrong? Are you feeling all right?"  
Scatterblade shook the look from his face and grinned, “I’m sure it’s nothing.”  
Illusory suddenly grew stiff as an old contact frequency pinged her. It took her a few kliks to sort and identify the code, but when she did, she almost wish she hadn't. 'Decepticon...' Fear laced through her. Who knew she was here? Worse yet, who knew she was here that wanted to contact her? ::State your designation and information sought,:: she demanded in her standard tone. She might have been nervous, but that didn't mean she had to show it to anyone. That's how spies got killed.  
She tried to act natural, not wanting to alarm Scatterblade.

::Ahh, so you are here, shadowy one! Good, good. You may remember me as Nightwarp. I seek the whereabouts of a certain Autobot front-liner that goes by the designation of Scatterblade. My orders are to take his worthless frame back to Cybertron for processing.:: The mech delivered his message with cool confidence.  
Scatterblade looked back at Illusory and his grin started to fade. Her small smile suddenly looked very fake and her optics seemed distant. “Right back at you? You okay?”

The femme choked on her fear at hearing such certainty from her contact. She had known Scatterblade was of interest to the Decepticons; that they had chased after him, but to know he was officially on their 'hunted' list disturbed her. Looking at Scatterblade she suddenly felt horrible. “Yes, I...I am fine. Just a little tired.” ::Yes, Nightwarp,:: she kept her tone smooth and almost teasing, ::I do recall I have done business with you a time or two. A good client. What is your medium of exchange for the information you seek?::  
::An interesting question, shadowy one. How about if I told you of a rumor of an Autobot ship adrift in Hook's sector? Is that worth anything to you?::

“You wanna head in?” Scatterblade suggested, noting the growing distress in the femme's optics and her unnatural stillness. She was trying to keep something from him.  
“Yes, I think that might be best,” she agreed, climbing to her feet and brushing away some of the dirt that clung to her pale armor. ::Perhaps,:: she purred over the secured comm, instantly weighing the worth of a lost Autobot ship. ::More information will be required to determine value, but I am sure we can work something out.::  
::That was only to wet your appetite, we must not use this line for very long, other sparks are on this planet and I don't fancy getting my aft blown up quite this early. Meet me at this coordnance in a quarter joor and we will discuss this.::

The black mech helped Illusory to her feet.   
Illusory matched the coordinates to her current position and determined the amount of time it would take her to reach it. It was almost a joor if she went top speed. “I think maybe I need to lay down,” the femme said as she tried to make heads or tails of what was going on in her own processor.

She was sure she needed to get whatever information her Decepticon contact had, but was she really willing to sell information on Scatterblade to do so? 'No, of course not,' she told herself as they headed back toward the base proper. 'But there is no reason why I cannot find some way around it and still obtain his information.' With some determination, she started making her plan.  
Scatterblade walked silently beside the femme, leaving her to her thoughts. Whatever it was, he was sure that she would come to him if she needed help. He guided her to his quarters. “You can rest here. I’m gonna check in with Ratchet,” he said, something about the last time he spoke with the medic made him feel...off.

The mech went into the med bay office spotting the mech he had come searching for. “Hey Ratchet? I was just coming to check in on why you commed me,” the younger mech explained.  
Despite Wheeljack's observations on his need of recharge, Ratchet was still in his office going through 'just one more' data pad of important medical files. “Are you feeling anything out of normal?” The medic was already scanning the front-liner, noting his low energy levels. “You appear drained,” there was a measure of alarm to the CMO's tone.

The mech chuckled. “It was just some...exercises. I’m okay. And it’s just...I’m the only one that should be able to operate the pretender. When you said it moved...it was a little disconcerting.”

“Hm,” the medic nodded. “It did bother me that the pretender moved without you being aware. Wheeljack suggested it might have been something we did, triggering some internal movement – and that there might be a backlash to you through it. We stopped working for the time being to see what was going to happen.” Leaning back in his seat, Ratchet continued to study the mech before him. “You really shouldn't be straining yourself when you know that the pretender can drain your systems. We don't know how all of this is going to affect you, you should take it easy.” It was a mild scolding, but a scolding none the less.

“ I know. But it can only drain if it’s physically connected. Right now, it wouldn’t matter,” the mech shrugged. “But I understand what you mean.” He paused before continuing, another thought on his processor. “Probably too late to see Charlie again tonight?”

Ratchet considered the time. “It is late by human standards. She needs to rest, but, I suppose you could look in on her if you want. Just do not wake her.”

Scatterblade nodded his agreement. “Well, night then Ratchet,” he said slipping out of the office and heading down the hall.

“Take it easy,” the medic warned one last time before the mech was out of hearing range, then returned to his data pads.

The younger mech chuckled at the reminder but continued down the hall. He pushed open the door silently and peered in.

Charlie was lying down her eyes distant and far away. She glanced up at him and smiled brightly. He held a digit to his mouth in a silent shush. She nodded, eagerly waving him in.

He entered, shutting the door behind him. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” He asked keeping his voice down.

“It takes me forever to fall asleep. Even when I’m in my own bed. Being far away is worse,” she explained simply. 

“Just came in to say goodnight.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. “So how are you and Illusory?” She asked with a raised brow.

Scatterblade chuckled a little nervously under her scrutiny. “We’re...ha,” he paused to consider what was really being asked of him and everything that was spinning wildly in his processor. “We’re doing good.”

“So have you told her yet?” 

“What? Told her what?”

“That you like her,” she said exasperatedly.

“Charlie...”

“Oh, come on,” she studied him, an impish grin claiming her face. “It takes three words. That’s it.”

“It’s...more complicated than that,” he said, frowning.

Charlie’s grin fell at the defeated tone Scatterblade had. “What do you mean?”

He was about to start explaining about the war, about being hunted, how much danger being anything more than friends would put her in, but hesitated. He wasn't sure he even believed those excuses himself anymore. “Can we talk tomorrow? Ratchet’s gonna throw something at me if he finds out I woke you up.”

“You didn’t wake me,” she grumbled. “You’re just dodging the question.”

“It takes a while to explain and you don’t have the time. You need to sleep,” he said firmly.

Charlie huffed, “Night then,” she said reluctantly.

Scatterblade opened the door once again, “I’ll see you in the morning,” he grinned teasing her.

She shook her head and waved him off.

He chuckled and shut the door behind him. He vented softly as he thought about what Charlie mentioned. Somewhere inside he knew he should at least let Illusory know he thought more of her than just a partner, or friend. He was still really conflicted about when or even how he should approach her. Timing was everything. If he screwed it up it would make being her partner extremely more complicated than it needed to be.

Venting again he headed back to the hanger.

Ratchet noted the mech as he was leaving. He also noted the conflicted look on his face. The medic decided he would have to keep a close eye on the mech over the next few joors.

***

The pretender made itself visible. It had nearly been discovered, but that didn’t matter to it now. Once his quarry was asleep the objective would be halfway complete and it would be that much closer to what it wanted.

The pretender waited some time before opening the door to the human’s room. No need for the fleshling to start screaming. The human was indeed asleep and it studied the form for a moment. That new arm they had given her might be a problem but the attachment paid it no more mind than that. It removed the IV and other bothersome connecting cords. After silencing the machines, it woke the fleshling.

Charlie opened her eyes rubbing them with her left hand. “Scatterblade?” she asked recognizing the holoform he used. “I thought you said you were gonna let me sleep?”

“Get up,” he growled.

The tone made her wake up a bit faster. Scatterblade didn't talk like that; he was almost...aggressive. “What?”

“Get out of bed,” he said more sternly. 

Charlie eyed him at first angrily then more suspiciously as the oddness of it began to sink in. “Why do I have to get out of bed?” When she had first woken up his expression had been rather bland and definitely not Scatterblade. Now he leaned in closer to her, eyes narrowed and a scowl forming on his face.

“Because I’ll kill you if you don’t,” he snarled dangerously.

She felt a shiver of ice run down her body and took a breath to scream but the holoform was fast covering her mouth.

“I will kill you,” he said again, as if it was some kind of promise. “Get up.”

Charlie was dressed in her clothes that she came to base in and walking down the hall trying hard to not look conspicuous. It was late and not many people were around. In fact, she didn’t encounter anyone as she was escorted to the exit of the med bay.

 


	21. Event Twenty One

Event Twenty-One

~

_Reality...shattered. Illusions...torture._

~

 

Illusory slipped from Scatterblade's quarters after a few breems of pretending to be settling down for recharge. Wherever he had gone, he had surely gotten there by now and wouldn't see her. She moved quietly, sticking close to buildings and acting as natural as she could hoping to avoid unwanted attention. She returned to the same place she had made her vanishing act previously. 'If only the Autobots knew about this...' but then, if they did, how would she slip out unnoticed?

She was quiet until she was a good distance away from the base, then she took on her Tiburon alt mode and hit the highest speeds she dared to as she raced for the rendezvous point.

'I cannot believe I am doing this,' she thought as the night air whipped over her. How could she even be thinking of betraying Scatterblade? 'I am not! I have not done anything yet...' but she would, if the price was good, and she knew it. 'No, I will not,' she corrected herself. 'I will find a way around it. It is just like before, business and nothing more. I do not have to tell him where Scatterblade is, or how to find him.'

Nightwarp rolled into the large canyon he had designated as the meeting place; few natives were anywhere in the general area at this time of the planet's cycle. He transformed for the first time since arriving on this mud-ball and taking his sleek purple motorcycle alternate mode. The air felt different here. Life forms were all around him, none intelligent or dangerous so he paid them no attention. This was awkward, this planet was very different from Cybertron. A check on his internal chronometer told him he was early so he scanned for a good vantage point, finding a ledge not too far that could provide concealment, he leaped his way to it and settled down to wait. Dimming his signature and extending his sensors ranger to maximum he watched for any possible threats; he hadn't lived through the war this long by being careless.

Illusory pushed her speeds and cut every corner she could find; including not traveling on roads at all, and found herself approaching the canyon long before she should have been. She could feel the strain in her system – especially after such a vigorous workout – but she knew that time would be important. She had to get there before the mech had too much of it, or she was more likely to be driving into a trap than a business exchange.

A beep on his internal sensor warned him of an incoming vehicle, he narrowed his red optics, studying the signature carefully. The chances of it being native were low and the vehicle had a certain...marker on his sensor.

A smirk quickly formed on his faceplates. 'Let's see how the dice fall, oh shadow one,' he thought eagerly. He activated his battle routine but no weapons armed just yet, it always paid to be careful. He saw a rather luxurious looking car roll along the road. He zoomed in and noticed the clear give away that this was no native on a late drive, no driver sat within the vehicle. “Sloppy sloppy,” he muttered and waited until the vehicle passed just under the ledge before he jumped down, landing mere meters behind the passing car. "Sloppy!” He shouted at her.

Illusory cursed herself as she jumped into her bipedal mode to face the larger mech. He was right, she had been completely sloppy coming into this exchange. Still, she managed to put on an air of confidence about her. “I simply wish to make sure you are aware that I am here for nothing more than to see what you have to offer. No reason for sneaking around with that, now is there?”

He smiled, the femme was a lovely creature. She always had been to his recollection. "Always be on your guard on an hostile world, you should know that, spy,” he half mocked and stood to his full height, well above the femme's own slight form. "Had I been a Decepticon intent on your spark, I could have destroyed you without effort...we wouldn't want that to happen now would we, Illusory?" He crooned. Then suddenly grew serious. "Down to business I guess then; the pet, Scatterblade. I must find him," he punctuated the last part by making a fist and shaking it. "Do you know his location, spy?”

“Scatterblade?” The femme made the appearance of searching her memory banks for the designation. “I cannot say it comes directly to mind. Details, please.”

He transmitted the details of the mech to her without hesitation. It wasn't information that was hard to come by and if it helped lead to his prey, it was worth the time it took. "Let's just say my employers want him...badly. Preferably functioning but if not," he shrugged, "same to me. I hunt whoever they tell me, whoever pays for my time. As you have proven resourceful in the past, I came to you to speed up this hunt.  If not I’ll find him myself." He narrowed his optics at her, intending to look menacing to help her understand his point. He didn't _need_ her to complete his mission, he just chose to use her for what she was known for to make it all go swifter.

“Hn,” the femme nodded. There was an opportunity here. She could mislead this mech's hunt for Scatterblade, perhaps saving her friend another fight – or worse. “The description meets some information I have access to. Tell me more of what you have to offer and I will see about obtaining an appropriate amount of data.”

He pondered for a few kliks before nodding in agreement. "A Decepticon scout ship picked up an beacon for an Autobot ship set adrift a few stellar cycle ago, the information is... fragmented at best," he growled. "The ship was named the Zeta Prime; science vessel, crew of twenty sparks. The Decepticon picked up the request for assistance and relayed it, the message back was to ignore their beacon and continue on. How...sad, don't you think?" He raised one optic at her, scrutinizing her for a reaction.

“I am sure they were searching for more lands to carry your foul war to,” she griped in her standard nature. Her distaste for the war was renowned among those that knew her, there was no sense in hiding her first thoughts. “However, twenty sparks is a great number. If you have more precise coordinates for that ship, I can provide a region of the described mech. If you can provide more detailed information of those on board, including designations and whether they still function or not, I will obtain more specific information.”

"Not so fast, spy. If I'm going to potentially let go twenty ex-enemies, I want solid information first. I don't have their designations, just the ship name and its location. The rest is up to you. How much are twenty Autobots worth to you, spy? Worth one lowly escaped Autobot? Twenty for one seems a more than generous ratio to my taste." He extended a hand outward invitingly. "The information... and if it pans out...you'll have the location."

The femme did not move. “Twenty Autobots, twenty Decepticons. It makes no difference to me, you are all warmongers bent on destruction. I care little if twenty Autobots die. It is a shame should so many sparks be lost, but that will be fewer players in your wretched war. Do not attempt to appeal to my 'softer side', Nightwarp. You should know that in business, there is no softer side.

“What those sparks mean to me is currency, nothing more. Without designations, their worth is by far less. I must find buyers for the information, and as it is a stranded ship with likely no resources to sustain the crew, that is a very limited amount of time to find someone willing to purchase such information.

“Give me the location and I will provide you with the region your described Autobot has been reported in.”

He growled, displeased his tactic had failed. "I hardly care if twenty puny Autobot scum die, Decepticons or Autobot it means little to me, I help whichever pays me the most, today its the Cons, tomorrow...who knows?" He smiled at his own inner joke but it faded just as quick. "Finding a buyer however should not be THAT difficult; seeings how there are half a dozen of those Autobrats on this mud-ball. Don't take me for a fool, femme!"

“Hn,” the femme nodded. “That is true. The information is sell-able; that is the only reason I offer you trade for such information as it is. If there were none here to sell the information to, there would be no value to it at all.”

"Indeed. When was my prey last seen? I don't care for dozens of planetary rotation old intel, he could have traveled anywhere since then. I need most recent."

“The information I have is less than an orn old; however, considering the limitations of a ground-bound mech, it is unlikely he has left the region he was originally spotted in.” This time she held out her own hand. “To acquire any further information from me, you will have to pay forward the information you have offered.”

Nightwarp observed the femme, looking for signs of deceit. She wasn't known for such things, a Neutral jaded by war that only looked out for herself. "Fine," he growled. A mini data disk appeared in his hand, he step forward and slapped it lightly in her palm. "Now, my information on my prey, dear shadowy one," his optics never left hers. He didn't trust her fully.

Illusory tucked the disk away quickly before assembling a data package of her own. She included a map of the mech's travels near Salt Lake City and everything that showed him going north-east, away from Logan and not directly toward the Autobot's Nevadan base. “I believe your target is running,” she advised smoothly, never daring to let her own optics wander from his. She knew that the Decepticon was suspicious of her to say the least and anything that could be construed as fraudulence could mean her deactivation. She sent him the data in a quick burst packet through a specially designed information link that could only transfer in a single direction and was practically untraceable. “You have your information. Our dealings are complete.” She did not dare turn her back on the mech as she took on her alt form once more.

The ex-Con received the package and went over it in an instant. "Interesting..." was all he said as he watched her transform. "'Til next time, shadowy one. I hope your intel is good. The penalty otherwise is...not pleasant," he concluded, smoothly transforming and speeding away in a cloud of dust and smoke.

The femme vented in deep relief as the mech disappeared into the distance. 'I just did that...Primus, Scatterblade, forgive me.'

Turning to the west, distinctly away from the base, the femme drove off at a subdued pace until she was several miles away and tucked into some decent wooded area. Taking out the small disk she had been provided, she tentatively inspected it. 'Data disk...' she vented. 'Trap.'

With careful practice, the femme accessed the disks information, storing it away with just as much care in a part of her processor specifically designed for such things.

***

A light tapping at Ratchet's door alerted the medic to someone requesting his attention.

“Ah thought ya were gunna go recharge.” Wheeljack leaned against the door frame with a reproachful look on his friendly face. “This don't count, ya know that.”

“Oh,” Ratchet looked over the data pads he had sorted through. He really hadn't intended to take so long, but one thing tended to lead to the next. “Well, it is too late now. My shift begins again in less than a joor.”

The inventor huffed with some annoyance. “Ya never can take yer own advice, can ya?”

“What are you getting at?”

“Nothin'. Since yer not gonna get ta yer berth, ya wanna resume on that pretender? Ah been thinkin' about it sense we left it, an' Ah think Ah have an idea about that weird reaction we got.”

“Is that so?” The medic was up and stretching, prepared to head back to their investigation.

“Ya; Decepticons built it. Since when do they not take th' chance ta implant somethin' inside somethin' that seems harmless enough?”

Ratchet looked stunned by the thought, then panicked. He rushed out of his office to where the pretender form had been kept, only to find the room empty. ::Scatterblade! Tell me you have control of your pretender.:: There was more demand than request in the medic's tone, but the clear amount of distress made it almost begging.

Scatterblade had been in the common area resting when the comm came to him. He jolted awake instantly in fight mode. ::No I don’t. What’s going on?:: He asked trying to keep the panic from sweeping his systems.

::It's gone,:: Ratchet informed him. ::Can you connect with it? Find it?:: The medic had a sinking feeling as he turned to consider the rest of the med bay. “How long has it been active,” he asked futilely.

“Since we activated it,” Wheeljack answered with a measure of despair. “It could be anywhere by now...”

::Yeah,:: the mech started connecting to it. 'What?' He wasn’t getting...he wasn’t getting in; but it was more than that. He couldn’t sense anything from the pretender. That connection was...gone. ::Ratchet,:: he sounded a bit strangled, ::I- I have no idea where it is. I- can’t find it... I can’t...:: Suddenly the fear was gone. It was replaced with anger and he bolted for the med bay.

Ratchet rushed through the halls. Scatterblade's confirmation of disconnection was a clear sign that things were not in their hands anymore – if they ever had been in the first place. He reached the patient quarters in record time. He checked on every patient until he reached the one room he knew should have a resident within, but found to be empty.

“No...”

Scatterblade rushed into the building. He skidded around a corner nearly knocking a hole in the wall. He halted when he saw Ratchet’s still frame in Charlie’s doorway. His rage flared consuming the fear that the scene sent through him. He transformed right there in the hallway and turned his scans on to their farthest reach. He pealed out, letting his engine roar.

::Illusory!:: he barked over the comm, ::where are you?::

The femme jerked at the call. 'Slag!' ::What is going on?:: She asked, not sure how to answer him. His tone was enough to alert her to the fact something was wrong.

Ratchet sent out a general comm telling everyone to be on alert, looking for an individual that didn't belong on base, or Charlie...whichever they saw first.

::Charlie’s missing. That Pit spawned pretender is too. I can’t find it! I can’t feel it! I-:: He cut off the comm before he started yelling at her. ::I need your help,:: he said simply unable to keep the pain from his voice. 

Deep regret laced the femme as she looked around. She was so far away! ::Scatterblade...:: sorrow and fear laced her voice. ::I will be there as quickly as I can...:: She gave the disk in her hand one last look before crushing it and tucking the remains under a large rock. 

His first thought was where _was_ she? His next processes were much more proactive due to the announcement that snapped him from his thoughts. One of the gates had been attacked – from the inside – and there were several wounded. There were two that left the base in a vehicle. The only reason no one was firing at them was because one of the occupants was the new human, Charlie.

Scatterblade raced toward the downed gate, trying to catch a glimpse of the fast fading vehicle on his scanners. 

Illusory dumped what energy she had left into speed to get back to the base. She had failed to protect Charlie again, how could she? 'I am so sorry,' she repeated over and over again as she raced back over the land at speeds that would be deadly should she hit anything, or miss a turn, or not see a crevice in the earth as she sped by. 

Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Dino joined Scatterblade as he rushed through the gates. They poured on their own speed trying to catch up to the fleeing vehicle before it was too late. 

The young front-liner barely noticed his companions as he raced to catch up. He could barely keep the blip on the edge of his scanner's reach. It was slow going but he was getting closer. 

By the time the base was just reaching the edge of her sensors, the others had been on the chase for quite some time. Illusory didn't even pause as she zipped by, leaving those that witnessed her passing choking on dust and grasping for exactly what they had just seen. She was locked on Scatterblade's signature and that was her sole focus. Scatterblade would be chasing Charlie and that's where she wanted to be.

The mechs sped on and Scatterblade poured more and more of himself into the speed. He was so close. He just needed to get the fraggin’ Con tech to slow the car down. One car wreck in a human’s life was too many by his standards. ::We gotta slow ‘em down,:: he commed to the mechs behind him. ::We have to do it without getting the human hurt. Any ideas?::

::Frag,:: Sideswipe growled on Scatterblade's right. ::At this speed, anything we do will risk the human.::

Sunstreaker pulled up on the black mech's other side. ::If we could get ahead of him,:: he offered with a similar snarl to his voice.

::Mech's got too much speed for us,:: Dino pointed out as he too tried to push a little harder. ::Need someone faster.::

Illusory could see the mechs in front of her. She was gaining on them quickly, her spark pulsing overtime as she pushed her limits even harder. ::I can,:: she stated as she came up on their tails.

::Try to box him in in toward us,:: Scatterblade told the femme, ::We’ve got to slow him down.::

::Done.:: Using the mechs in front of her to draft, the femme came around and shot forward in a slingshot motion, launching ahead of the other car just enough to clear his front bumper. She started slowing her pace, preparing for the others to make their move.

Charlie had long since strapped a seat belt on. When she saw the ‘bots coming for her, she whooped excitedly sticking her tongue out at the Pretender. The Con tech swung his hand out and connected with her face. Blood spurted out of her nose as Charlie yelped. The thing just broke her nose! Holding her injury she tried to keep an eye on the mechs behind them. Through pained tears she saw a white shimming behind the pack of mechs. She smiled broadly underneath her hand as the femme sped to the front. The pretender tried to maneuver the car around the femme, even trying to ram her out of his way. 

Illusory took the hit, using the contact to force the mech to slow. She shifted just enough to ensure her rear bumper locked with his front and then began to apply her breaks – not fast enough to cause the car to lose control, or to jolt the human within too much, but still enough to ram the two together. The femme grunted with the effort, her systems burning with the heat of overuse but she refused to quit until Charlie was safe.

Scatterblade was nearly in contact with the car. It was working. He latched onto the back of it, priming his cannon to blast the Pit spawn out of the car.

What happened next made him shut down his weapons.

::Release the vehicle or I kill her.:: It wasn’t the threat that made him freeze. The little fragger had stolen his voice.

“No!” The femme roared as she transformed into her bipedal mode, landing on the car's hood. She bashed at the window once to gain the pretender's attention. “Touch her and I will rip you apart!”

Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Dino did their best surrounding the car, but hesitated to take action with the human trapped within and the femme on top of it.

“Little late for that,” the pretender grinned jerking a thumb at the human’s bloodied face.

Charlie wasn’t sure where it came from, but with a hard swing she brought her right fist into the pretender’s face, catching him right between the eyes. It screamed as it lost its sight for all of a few seconds but that was all that was needed. Charlie opened the door and tried to climb out of the car. Their speed wasn’t nearly as high as it had been before but as the redhead watched the ground race past her, she wished she hadn’t had this wonderful idea.

Illusory looked a little faint at the sight of the blood on the human girl, but when Charlie made for her escape, she pulled herself together. “Charlie!” She called, reaching out for her.

Charlie inched her way out the window. The Con tech grabbed for the girl’s leg and missed. It couldn’t let go of the wheel or they would crash. Then again...maybe it could. It would survive. It’s hostage wouldn’t but it would be able to escape as the Autobots mourned their loss. The pretender lunged for the human again letting the car do as it may.

Scatterblade felt the car begin to lose control. ‘No.’ He steadied the car as much as he could in his alt mode. With the pretender no longer controlling the car it was slowing down much faster, but still not fast enough.

As the car lurched, Illusory lost her balance on the hood. In a last bid to save Charlie, the femme pushed off, grabbing the human and pulling her close to her and wrapping herself around the fragile body. Hitting the ground jarred all of her senses; she lost what was up or down, or even where her own limbs were as she bounced and rolled.

When she finally came to a stop, she couldn't even make sense enough of herself to move. “Charlie?” She tried to call to the human, but her voice came as nothing more than static and screeches. Her processor was so out of sync at the moment, she didn't even realize it.

Charlie pulled her hands away from her eyes. “Lu?” She asked, her voice tight and small. She sighed with relief and laid her head back down on the femme’s chassis.

The femme churred in soft contentment. Charlie was there, she could hear her. Her processor was still struggling to catch up with the rest of the world, but she had Charlie and that was all that mattered.

Seeing the opportunity for a strike, the front-liners moved in, slamming into the car to drive it where they wanted it and finally bringing it to a stop.

Scatterblade ripped the roof off the car and grabbed the pretender in both hands. “Give me a reason not to pop your head off,” he growled.

The pretender said nothing, simply grinned up at him sadistically.

Once the pretender was safely captured, Sideswipe broke away to check on Illusory and Charlie. “Hey, femme, you still function?”

Illusory screeched something unintelligible, but nodded.

“Ugh, sounds like your speech protocols are scrambled. Next time you decide to dive off a moving vehicle, try not to land on your head.”

Scatterblade kept his optics on the ‘Con tech but kept an audio open to see if the girls were alright. “Let’s get everyone back to base,” the black mech said with a distinct growl. “We’ll figure this mess out there.” He eyed the pretender angrily and in forethought he took metal from the destroyed car and bound it tight within.

Sideswipe offered a hand to the femme, but as she reached for the offered limb, it was apparent that more than just her speech was scrambled. “Well, frag, femme,” the mech chuckled humorously. “Charlie, you functional?” He asked as he scooped the human up so that he could haul the femme to her unsteady feet.

“Here,” Dino offered, coming up behind the silver front-liner. He took the human from him so the mech had both hands to steady the femme.

Charlie nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay,” she said though her voice sounded stuffy. “Gonna get your names later?” She asked with a grin.

“Eh, I'm Dino,” the red mech introduced easily enough. “That one there is Sideswipe. His brother over there is Sunstreaker.” He shrugged, bringing the human closer to his optics. “You're damaged. Ratch'll want ta see to that.”

Sideswipe tried hard to steady the uncoordinated femme, but soon dubbed it pointless and picked her up. “This one too,” he vented. “I don't envy either of you about now, but at least you're both alive.”

With one more check over the area, the mechs turned to head back to base. It was going to be a long walk.

It was a pretty silent walk back and it gave Scatterblade some time to think over the pretender issue. Why hadn’t he felt it when the two had become separated? More importantly, why did it feel like this...thing was now its own consciousness? It shouldn’t have been. With all that he knew, and figured out, about the pretender he had always known that it was merely an avatar. He knew he didn’t know everything about the thing, but this seemed to go way too far above his head.

Illusory's senses started to come back to her but she was beyond exhausted. ::Scatterblade?:: She asked over a private link, hoping that at least that was coming out halfway understandable. ::Are you okay?::

He jerked from his thoughts. ::I’m okay,:: he said shortly.

The femme balked somewhat at his answer. ::I am sorry,:: she offered apologetically.

Scatterblade vented softly, ::No. I’m not- I’m not mad at you. I’m just-:: he vented.

“Having trouble with you’re girlfriend?”

The question startled him. He looked down at the Pretender. It was looking up at him its eyebrow raised. The mech glared at it. “Shut up.”

The pretender simply chuckled. Scatterblade growled at it. ::Cut that out.::

::Cut what out?:: It asked innocently.

::That’s my voice.::

::Would you rather I use this one?:: it asked but this time in one he hadn’t heard in a while. Scatterblade nearly dropped the thing. He gripped the thing tighter refusing to answer the Pit spawn.

Sunstreaker heard the pretender's odd question. “Little slagger's gonna talk enough later,” he growled, glaring pure death at the little form. “Can't believe you had that inside of you.” The mech shuddered with revulsion.

“Sunny!” The silver twin admonished.

“What?”

“Remember that thing about crass things not to say? That was one of them.”

Sunstreaker grumbled something, but offered Scatterblade a quiet 'sorry'.

::Talk to me?:: The femme partially begged.

Scatterblade brushed the comment off and put the pretender by his side, not wanting to look at it anymore. He vented slowly trying to focus his processor on making sure Illusory was alright. ::I don’t understand how this happened. How I didn’t know...:: he told her honestly.

::You said even you did not know everything about it,:: the femme tried to console the mech. ::This was likely one of the Decepticon's traps...like they are prone to do.::

::I guess, I’m just trying to grasp the concept. He...it’s alive,:: he vented again, ::What else is gonna happen today?::

::That is a question I advise you do not ask...:: the femme felt a wash of guilt for what she had done. True, she had lead the ex-Decepticon hunter Nightwarp away from Scatterblade – as far as she knew – but she had still sold information on her friend. She felt too vulnerable being carried around. “Put me down, please,” she asked, pushing away from Sideswipe. “Thank you for your assistance, but I believe I am recovered enough to walk on my own.”

Sideswipe complied, but kept one hand on her arm as the femme stumbled a bit. Illusory straightened and took a few determined steps of her own. She was weak, but if she concentrated and went slow, she could walk just fine.

When they reached the base it was hectic and Scatterblade could barely register who was talking to him. He had been exhausted before this little chase and now he barely had enough left in him to walk straight.

Ironhide was the first to hassle them, taking the pretender into custody and honing in on Illusory. “Where were you?” He demanded of the femme.

Ratchet was the next in line, scanning Scatterblade, Illusory and Charlie shuffling them off to the med bay. “Later Ironhide, let me make sure they're functional first.”

Charlie gaped at the big black mech but before she could say anything she and her friends were whisked away. When Scatterblade finally found himself settled down on a berth his first instinct was to just go straight into recharge.

“Rest,” Ratchet encouraged the mech. “You're systems are strained, you need recharge.”

Scatterblade nodded and let his system shut down.

The medic's attention went to Illusory next. The femme's tanks were low again, but this time all of her systems clearly showed she had burned through the energon. “Dare I ask what you were up to?”

“No,” the femme stated blandly. She too wanted recharge, but for the moment refused to take part. She had to know what she was going to wake up to first.

Ratchet studied the femme carefully, but moved on to make sure Charlie was alright before he decided to investigate further. “You should rest,” he told Illusory.

“Later,” she grumbled watching him look over Charlie. Guilt wracked her as she looked on; she should have been there.

Charlie pushed the medic away as much as she could. “It’s just a broken nose. Gotta get it set and I’m good.”

“I will be the judge of that,” the medic lectured, insisting on making sure the human was alright from head to toe. He moved quickly, before Charlie could react – small tools forming from his fingertips that allowed him to reset her nose and had it taped in place in mere seconds. “Now, you should rest too,” he advised, placing the girl on a human sized bed setting in clear view of his office.

The redhead grunted in the slight pain and discomfort but obliged.

“Now, for you, femme...” the medic squared off in front of Illusory, an unwavering commanding look about his features. “What exactly happened with you?”

Illusory looked over the room, to Scatterblade and to Charlie. ::I went to meet with another client,:: she informed the medic silently. She wasn't even entirely sure she wanted to do what she was about to do. ::I obtained some information about a ship that is supposedly Autobot; twenty sparks aboard, set adrift in Hooks quadrant.::

Ratchet looked shocked, then suspicious. ::And what did you sell for it?::

::That is my concern, not yours.::

The medic adopted a rather disdainful glare; one that would normally be directed to his patients that claimed they needed no repairs despite their leaking internals. ::I suppose you're looking to sell it to us then,:: he all but growled.

Illusory's expression remained steady, unblinking and unfazed by the unspoken accusations from the medic. “No,” she stated verbally. She sent the data packet to the medic without a second thought. Well, that wasn't entirely true – she did lament briefly over the profit she could have made, but that was only momentary and compared to the benefit she might gain by sparing such information without a price was worth it in the long run. “There are too few clients in this area that would be looking to buy that at any rate. Maybe you lot can save your comrades before it is too late.”

Stunned to say the very least, Ratchet noted that the information was not first hand. “Where is the original?”

“I destroyed it. Cannot claim that my client might not have tried to trace it.”

Ratchet studied the femme for a minute. “Is this your bid to keep Ironhide off your aft?”

The femme gave the medic a rather sardonic look. “As if that would help. It is as I said, there are few I could hope to sell it to here anyway, and I am already contracted with you lot.”

Ratchet nodded, accepting the offer for what it was. “Rest. I'll see about Ironhide.”

Illusory vented deeply. “Thank you.” She was in recharge before her head was laying upon the berth.

No matter how hard he tried Scatterblade couldn’t not think even in recharge. He had wanted so badly to pop the pretender’s head off. That thing had dredged up memories that were almost healed. He dared to steal Speedrunner’s voice. Oh great, he was personifying it again. How the slag had that happened? Where did a consciousness come from?

Illusory recharged hard, but came online long before she was ready. She opened her optics to find she was not in a holding cell, as she figured she might wake to, nor was she being watched. Instead, she was where she had laid down and the lights were dimmed to offer some comfort to those resting there. She could see the light of Ratchet's office shining and suspected the medic was there doing something or other, but chose to ignore his presence. She slid from her berth, checking on Charlie first then approaching Scatterblade. “I am sorry,” she whispered as softly as she was able.

The mech stirred. “What?”

“Oh, I didn't mean to wake you,” she whispered still. “Recharge. I...just wanted ta make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine. Tired but I’m fine. Why are you sorry?” He pushed, even in this hazy state of processor recognizing the guilt pouring off the femme.

Illusory vented softly. She wanted to tell him what she had done, she wanted to know that he would forgive her for it; but how could she? She had betrayed him, even if she had done her best to throw the mech off his trail, she had sold information on his location. “I...am sorry I was not here when I should have been.” She backed away as if she intended to go back to her berth. “Go back into recharge. You should rest...”

“You rest too,” he said as he drifted back into fitful rest.

“Sure...” she agreed, sitting on her berth and watching the mech for a few breems. Once she was sure he was sound in recharge once more, she slid from her place and made to leave the med bay.

“Where are you going?” Ratchet asked tiredly from his office.

“Just to walk...”

“Walk? Don't you think you've run all the 'walking' out of your system for the orn?” The medic got up and went to his door. “You need to recharge.”

“I cannot, there is just too much on my processor. I am not comfortable here.” She spared the medic a pleading look. “I just wish to walk, I will not go anywhere.”

Ratchet vented. “You know that you will be watched.”

“Of course...” the femme hadn't thought of it, but was not surprised. “I understand.” With that she turned from the CMO and left the med bay. She walked as far as she dared to remain within sight of the base and started a slow circle of it. She watched the stars above and the way the horizon changed colors depending on the time of night until it turned day. The sun found her back where she had watched the previous day come into life standing beside Scatterblade. She still had that impending sense of something just beyond sight there, but couldn't say what it was.

Scatterblade wasn’t prone to recharging longer than he needed and surprisingly he was able to slip out of the med bay and just outside. There was no need to go any further. He wanted to enjoy the cool morning before the sun rose.

Spotting the front-liner's appearance, Ironhide made his way to the smaller mech. “Your femme is over there,” he pointed to the just seen plateau and the small gleam of white on top of it. “She's been pacing the place most of the off-cycle.”

“She’s not-” Scatterblade clammed his mouth shut. “Oh. Thanks,” he muttered.

With a short nod, the larger mech left Scatterblade to himself, though he kept a wary optic on the femme. Something just seemed out of place with her, even for who she was, and he wasn't sure he trusted it.

Scatterblade walked to the femme taking in her still form and almost lost look. “Hey. You doing okay?”

Startled by his seemingly sudden appearance, Illusory jerked as she looked up at him. “Oh! I...um...I am fine,” she shook herself, trying to come back to her senses.

Scatterblade chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like someone who’s fine,” he accused.

“Scatterblade,” she vented, finally unable to deal with her own conscious anymore, “there is another Decepticon on the planet hunting you...well, ex-Decepticon but he still works for them when they pay him. I...” she turned away from the mech, not willing to look at him when she told him the truth. “I met with him, that is where I was when Charlie was taken. He was a good client back on Cybertron; we traded information and credits quite often...I did not tell him where you are...” she didn't add that his information was not of a high enough quality for her to even be tempted – or that she could have been tempted should the information been worth it – but she felt as if the truth were branded on her plating.

The mech took an involuntary step back. “Okay...wasn’t expecting that. Why didn’t you-” he paused composing himself so he didn’t sound the way he was feeling. “Why did you talk to him in the first place?” He asked calmly.

“He offered me information on the location of a ship. Twenty Autobots lost drifting in Hook's region.” She shrugged, still not looking at him. “Old habits die hard.”

“He did?” the mech asked surprised.

“Location only, there was no verification of function. I do not know if the 'bots are even still online.”

Scatterblade vented to himself, “Why is everyone after me?” Then he asked her, “What did you tell him?”

Illusory drew into herself as much as possible. “Where you've been, excluding Logan and here...I am sorry, I really am. I do not blame you for whatever you do to me for this betrayal.”

The mech didn’t say anything. He knew if he did he’d just let angry words do more damage than anything he could dish out. “Just...just don’t tell anyone.” He paused shaking his head slightly, “I need to be alone.” He walked away back to the base. He was more hurt than angry but it wasn’t too far behind. He needed to keep his mouth shut until he calmed down.

The femme keened mournfully once the mech walked away. It wasn't loud but it was full of misery.

Charlie was so sick of being cooped up before the whole pretender incident, now she was glad she had some time to rest. She wasn’t nearly as tough as she had been when Ratchet fixed her nose. With plenty of rest she wondered if she could wander. Slipping on her jacket she entered the hallway and out of the med bay.

Jolt saw the human passing and stepped out to greet her. “Where are you going?”

“I’m just taking a look around. I don’t want to be stuck in that room forever.”

“You cannot just walk around without an escort. Where are your guardians?” The medic looked at the distinctly empty med bay and then back to the human.

Charlie shrugged. “I don’t know. How am I supposed contact them? I don’t have little internal comm links,” she smirked up at him.

The mech looked a little put back by that. All the humans on base carried radios that would allow them to keep in contact with their Autobot partners, or they had phones to do the same. “I will contact them for you,” he said with a slight nod. ::Scatterblade, Illusory; where are you?::

Illusory groaned at the call, but sense it was one of the medics she thought she should at least see what he wanted. ::Out, what do you want?::

::In my quarters,:: Scatterblade answered shortly.

Jolt was not impressed with either of their responses and had half a processor to tell them where they could take their attitudes, but for the humans sake decided not to. ::One of you needs to come attend your human. She is awake and would like to walk around.::

::On my way,:: Illusory vented softly.

Scatterblade softened a bit. He didn’t want to take his frustration out on the human but he still needed space. Since Illusory was taking care Charlie he thought he would just sit this one out.

Illusory arrived in the med bay a few minutes later. She tried to hide her hurt and smiled at Charlie. “Good to see you up.”

“Thanks,” she gave a small wave, “I just couldn’t stay in there any longer.”

“I can sympathize with that. Where would you like to go?” The femme offered Jolt a brisk wave farewell as she followed Charlie out of the med bay.

“Anywhere,” she sighed. She paused, “Where’s ‘Blade?”

Illusory could not hide the look of guilt that washed over her, but quickly shoved it off for another smile. “In his quarters.”

“Oh,” she sighed. “Are you okay?”

“Of course, just a little...concerned. After everything that has happened.” The femme looked around the base. It was sizable, even for her. “After so long in the med bay, I think the recreational building might be of most interest to you. There will likely be other humans there you can interact with if you so desire.”

Charlie grimaced but let it go. “That sounds great.”

Illusory lead the way to the buildings. She knew them well enough to know where not to go, but that was about the extent of it. Once inside she gave Charlie as good of a tour as she knew to give and then let the woman choose her entertainment. “If you need anything,” the femme offered softly, “I think I need to just sit for a while.” She indicated the area where she could be found if needed.

Charlie was fascinated at the chance to talk to more of the bots. She turned back to Illusory to agree but hesitated. The femme looked so defeated. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to talk? We could go some place else. Some place quiet.”

“No,” the femme shook her head slowly. “I am just fine. You enjoy yourself.”

The young woman nodded, though unsure her friend was telling the truth.

Illusory smiled, then found a seat near a corner where she could almost melt into the shadows – well could have if her armor wasn't quite so light colored. Her processor instantly turned to what Scatterblade would do now; she had revealed herself, and as such, he should go directly to Prime and have her arrested for her betrayal. A part of her wanted him to do that so that she could feel at least like he was getting some kind of vindication out of it, yet a larger part knew that if he did, she would run and likely never see him again. The thoughts kept turning in her processor over and over, never coming to any kind of good conclusion, but she kept her optics on Charlie. Even if she might have to vanish soon, she would keep the human safe – no matter what.

Charlie found herself in no lack for willing company. Apparently many of the Autobots on base had been told to let her be until she came out of the med bay, but after that she was essentially free game.

The first to approach her was a mostly gray colored mech with a yellow crest on his head. “Hi! I'm Bluestreak, though most 'bots call me 'Blue', it's nice to meet you, Charlie! Oh, I suppose I should have given you the chance to introduce yourself, but I already know who you are so thought maybe you should know who I am. I'm so excited for you to be the first human to get Cybertronian enhancements. Not that humans aren't good for what they are but everything can always be better. Not that we're better...” The mech smiled with embarrassment. “Sorry...I get carried away sometimes. It's nice to meet you.”

“Wow. You’ve got a motor mouth,” Charlie laughed. “Sorry. Didn't mean that to sound mean. Just kinda fit,” she grinned up at the ‘bot.

“Heheh...yeah, lots of people tell me that. 'Bots too...well, everyone really. I like to talk I guess.”

“That’s alright. I can get talking and not stop, too.”

“Glad you understand. So...everyone really wants to meet you, mind if I show you around?”

The mech glanced up at Illusory, the femme looked suspicious for a klik, then vented and tipped her head slightly; giving into the unasked question. “I'll take care of you,” he promised.

Charlie looked back to the femme and gave her a reassuring grin. Turning back to Bluestreak she nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

With a grin that could not nearly be contained by the mech's facial plates, he offered a hand to the human, to carry her as they went. “Unless you'd rather walk, but this would be faster...it's up to you.”

“I’m getting over my fear of heights,” she said eagerly climbing onto his hand.

Bluestreak happily took the girl and his endless chatter began. He eagerly introduced her to every 'bot they came across, managing to silence himself for at least a breem at a time so the other 'bots could talk to her, but it never lasted much longer than that. The mech seemed more than thrilled to have a human to talk to; or maybe it was just to have someone to talk to. Either way, he completely occupied the girl’s time.

Scatterblade spent a long time just running over what Illusory had told him. Why would she go back to that life? She had tried absolutely everything to convince the Autobots that she was no longer a spy. Why pull herself back into it? To save potential lives when she had no proof of their still being alive? What she did was extremely foolish, let alone dangerous.

He vented cooling his over worked systems. 'I need to find her, talk to her,' he thought. 'I’m not mad anymore just...hurt.' He pushed himself off his berth and went in search of her.

Scatterblade had looked in several different places until he finally came to the rec room. He spotted Illusory by the wall. “Hey, Lu,” he said softly.

Illusory stiffed at the call. When she looked up at Scatterblade there was fear and guilt in her optics. She wasn't sure if she wanted to run or to see what he was going to say. “I will not be a prisoner again,” she warned quietly.

He vented softly, shaking his head, partially disappointed that she had jumped to such a conclusion. “That’s not what I want to talk about. Not getting you in trouble.”

She looked suspicious and somewhat hopeful. “Then what?” The tension didn't leave her frame, but she no longer looked as though she might bolt.

::I just want to know why,:: he said over a private comm so it wouldn’t be as awkward out loud. ::Why risk something like that? Even when you did lie about where I was, why risk that?::

Everything fled Illusory in that moment. She had been asking herself the same question over and over again. Why had she done it? Would she do it again? ::I...:: she vented. ::It was habit,:: she admitted shamefully, ::when he contacted me, I instantly went back to who I was and the opportunity for profit just seemed too good. It was not. It was not good enough for the hurt I caused you...but I...:: She pushed herself away from the table, turning so she didn't have to look at Scatterblade. ::I regret it, but I cannot claim that I would not do it again. When I arrived, I knew I would mislead him. I do not want to see you captured. I hoped that maybe if I mislead him the others that were searching for you might be mislead for a time as well. I know that is no excuse.::

Scatterblade stood there staring at the ground. ::I want to be able to count on you. I need to be able to trust you. I-:: he stopped himself. This wasn’t the time or place. This wasn’t how he wanted to tell her. He began again, ::Can I trust you? If something like that happens again, can you try to just ignore it?:: He asked, pleaded of her.

::Trust?:: The femme looked up finally, pure confusion on her face plates. “You want to trust me?” She asked aloud, though the sound of her own voice startled her. ::I...well...I mean I wish to say that you can trust me...:: Her processor spun; could she promise? Could she stop herself from jumping at the old game of intel trade? Her livelihood? ::I promise to use better discretion when it happens again. That is...that is the best I can do. I will not turn you over to them. I can promise that as well.::

::I do want to trust you,:: he said simply.

::But you cannot,:: she summed up quickly enough. It was only fair after all, she couldn't blame him one bit. ::I understand.:: She fidgeted for a moment before standing. “I should go find Charlie. I left her to the whims of Bluestreak.”

Scatterblade felt his as if his mass had doubled. His shoulders slumped. “Okay,” he said following after her.

The femme tried to ignore her own discomfort and set to the task of finding Bluestreak and the human he held captive. She paused for a moment as she came up to Sideswipe. “Have you seen Bluestreak?”

“Yeah, he has your human.”

“I know that, I am looking for them to save her from his relentless babbling,” she almost snapped her words, but managed to keep them a slight growl instead.

“Hey, now, mech's taken good care of her. No need to be so grumpy.” Sideswipe looked the femme over closely, noting her tenseness and the shadow in her optics, then turned his optics to the mech standing behind her. “Something happen?”

“No!” This time she did snap and turned immediately away from the silver front-liner. She stormed off with no further words.

“Touchy...” Sideswipe looked to Scatterblade for some answer. “What happened?”

“I can’t. Sorry,” he shook his head.

“Can't? Why not?”

“Not really your business,” the black mech stated more matter-of-factually.

Sideswipe was stunned at first, then a sly little half grin crept across his face. “Ah...lover's spat.” He started laughing. “Word of advice? Don't let her go to recharge angry at you. You might not come back online.”

Scatterblade glared at the mech, “None of your business also means keeping your comments to yourself.”

The front-liner shook his head, still laughing as he walked away leaving the pair to their feud.

Scatterblade looked to Illusory out of the corner of his optic. “Let’s go rescue Charlie.”

With a slight nod, the femme continued about her way. It wasn't long before they had proper directions to where Bluestreak had hijacked the human to. As they approached, Illusory took a moment to pull herself together, stuff her uncomfortable feelings away, and put on a smile. “Bluestreak? I believe it is time for us to take Charlie now.”

Charlie looked up as she recognized the voice. “Already?” she practically whined.

“You have enjoyed yourself then?” The femme laughed a little, though not nearly as amused as she tried to sound.

“Yeah it’s been fun,” Charlie said. “We even had a small contest to see who could speak faster. Blue won of course but it was still really funny,” Charlie giggled.

“I...can imagine...” she really couldn't but the idea had her processor feeling rather odd. “You should probably rest.”

“I think that‘s smart.” Charlie eyed both of her friends. “Sheesh, who died?” she joked.

“It’s nothing. We’ll talk later,” Scatterblade said softly.

Illusory glanced at Scatterblade nervously, but smiled for Charlie. “No one has offlined that I am currently aware of.”

“It’s a joke, Lu,” she muttered, nodding to the mech. When the three were walking again and out of ear shot of the others Charlie asked the question that was teetering on the edge of her tongue. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing for you to worry about...” Illusory murmured softly.

Charlie looked between the two. “What did you do?” She asked Scatterblade.

“Just...drop it,” the mech said.

She raised her eyebrows up in concern.

Illusory vented. “He did not do anything,” the femme corrected softly.

The redhead shot them both glances but soon gave up, “I’m gonna get some sleep. You guys have got to figure things out. I don’t know if I know what’s going on but figure it out,” she said slipping off the mech’s hand when he lowered it in her room.

The femme watched the human go, guilt building in her once more. 'This is why spies do not make friends...' she lectured herself. “Slag,” she muttered before turning to find someplace to clear her processor. She had spent far too much time thinking in circles and she was exhausted on top of that.

“Lu,” Scatterblade began, wanting to stop her before she ran off. “This isn’t over. I need you to- try and understand something.”

“It will never be over,” she grumbled, but paused to hear the mech out.

“I don’t know how to say it other than straight out. And I’m still not sure...no, I am sure, I just...It’s...” he vented, already feeling like he should delay it once again.

“You would rather I go away?” Illusory was sure that's what the mech was getting at; though his assignment as her 'guard' would make it complicated. “I am sure I can tell Optimus I would prefer someone else to work with me if that is the case. You do not need to feel trapped.”

“No!” he blurted, fear that she would bolt in that moment consuming him. “No. No. That-that’s not what it was at all!” He chuckled in half relief, half wanting to assure her that he wasn't going to shove her off. At least the ice was broken. “I’ve been wanting to tell you something. I...you know that I like you... right?”

::Oh shadowy one, think I have forgotten about you? Oh, I have not. Interesting places you sent me to, but you have withheld the most interesting one of them all.:: He sent her a set of coordinates... hers. ::Prey tell, what are you up to there?::

The femme literally jumped at the transmission. “No...no! NO!” She looked at Scatterblade with complete terror. “Scatterblade...” what was she to do? He was tracking her? How? She scanned her systems and found a infinitesimal error. 'A tracker...' “Primus,” her vents pulled air in desperately, her fans kicking on high as she realized her blunder. She had not taken the oh-so-precious time to search for trackers before she had returned to base. Charlie's endangerment having driven her to make hasty choices.

She reached under her plating, barely within reach of her fingertips on her back, and plucked the small device from its parasitic grip on her interior.

“He tagged me...” she breathed, staring at the thing with complete, utter disbelief.

At first Scatterblade had been horrified by her response, then was again for a completely different reason. “What? Illusory, talk to me,” he said grasping her by the shoulders.

A pleased cackle came on her private comm. ::Hehehhe!  Got you...and your precious Autobot. Now, are you willing to deal, shadowy one? Or do I send those coordinates to Cybertron?:: Truth was he wasn't very far from the location, but far enough to not be detected by patrols.

::Your suspicions are aggressive, hunter. What game are you playing?:: She tried to keep the panic from her voice, layering the tons of anger she was feeling over it in a rather believable cover.

“He tagged me!” The femme held up the little device, crushed between her fingers so it could cause no more damage to her; though she knew the damage had already been dealt. “He knows where I am!” Her panic gripped her tightly. How was she going to get out of this?

Scatterblade’s anger flared once again this time no hindrance was in the way. “We have to tell Prime,” he said taking her hand and guiding her along.

::What I want? Oh how gracious of you to ask! I’ve already stated my initial demands, but..I think I’ll have a new one, yes. Oh, and don’t think to get your little friends involved, or that data-pack WILL get into the hands of Decepticon intelligence and you know whats gonna happen then don’t you? They will send dozens and dozens of warriors here and level this planet to dust to find your precious friend,:: he taunted her. He had gone off road and was now on top of a ridge, where far into the distance the light of a military installation could be seen.

::You intend to sway me by threatening...what?:: She clung to her Neutral status like a lifeline. If he was going to threaten the base, there was little she could do for that, but maybe she could buy some time.

She pulled her hand away from Scatterblade. “I have to go stop him...he has this location and is going to hand it over to the Decepticons. You go to Prime, tell him...tell him everything I have done, it doesn't matter now. I have to go stop him!” ::Send me your location and we will discuss this new demand in person.::

“Wait, no! You don’t have to do this alone,” he said firmly. “Don’t go out against him. Not by yourself.”

“Scatterblade...” there was the oddest sensation in her spark as she looked at the mech. Was he concerned? No, more than that...maybe a little scared? “This is what I do...this is who I am. I have to go out there or he is likely to bring the Decepticons down on this base. I have to delay him at the very least and if anyone comes with me it will increase the chances that he will betray the deal he is offering and reveal this place to the Decepticons before any of you can be properly prepared to face them...not to mention it will endanger whomever comes with me...and me. Likely he would shoot first and never look back if I came to face him with anyone nearby.” She tried to convey her sincerity as clearly as she could. “I have done enough damage, let me do this at least. Get the Autobot’s prepared for if I cannot get him to uphold his bargain.”

“Illusory, we really need to let the others in on this. They can help you,” Scatterblade protested. “Let me help you,” he pleaded.

She was at a loss. A part of her was overjoyed that Scatterblade wanted to help her, but another was terrified. “He is after you, Scatterblade! Ah can't let...I cannot put you in any more danger than I already have. Go tell Prime.” With this she turned away from the mech and started running for the edge of the base. She had to get to Nightwarp before the mech got any closer.

A set of coordinates was transmitted to Illusory, another canyon valley maybe a thirty breems drive away at top speed. ::Meet me there in two planetary hours, or the data goes...and in case you think of bringing friends, or should I be deactivated, I’ve encoded the data into a transmitter that will emit unless I return to deactivate it, the data burst will be sent. You play my way or you loose femme::

::You threaten me as if you have something I need to hide, mech. It is not my base, what should I care for it?:: She lied, even as she turned toward the designated canyon. ::You are the one who has betrayed our deal, why do you attempt to menace me, hunter?::

Scatterblade started to chase after her but stopped. He vented, he needed to let her go. Turning back around he rushed to the Prime’s office, sending him all the information he had gathered. ::She went after him. To further deter him. I couldn’t stop her.::

Optimus was surprised by the sudden transference of information and everything it implied. ::This...does not bode well...:: the Autobot leader said through his shock. ::I will call a meeting, report to conference room three.::

A very select broadcast went out, calling certain 'bots to the meeting. When Scatterblade arrived, Ironhide, Ratchet, Jazz, Prowl, Mirage and a handful of mechs he had not directly met yet stood waiting; Optimus being the center of the collection. “I believe we may have a very unfortunate situation on our hands,” the large leader stated before handing the floor over to Scatterblade.

“An old client contacted Illusory wanting information for some intel on an Autobot ship, twenty sparks aboard. She accepted, but gave him false information. He contacted her again and she realized there was a bug on her. He has the coordinates for the base and is threatening to share it with the ‘Cons. She’s going out right now to make sure he doesn’t,” he explained though a tad too forcefully toward the end. He vented silently to calm himself as he awaited group’s eruption.

It was only a few kliks before the inevitable.

“I knew it!” Ironhide roared. “I knew that femme was no good!”

“Ironhide, wait,” Ratchet demanded, stopping the weapons specialist's rant before it got going in full. “Illusory already gave us the information she had acquired...no cost to us. It is the information I transmitted to you, Optimus,” he glanced at the Autobot leader as he spoke.

“Yes,” Optimus agreed. “A ship was sent to investigate. They confirmed that there was indeed a stranded Autobot science vessel there, but the number of survivors has yet to be counted. I expect to hear back any breem about it.”

Ironhide looked between Ratchet, Optimus and Scatterblade. “She just gave up the information? Without asking for anything in return?”

“What did she sell fer it?” It was Jazz that spoke up this time, a dark look in his shaded optics. He knew Illusory better than anyone else in the room. He knew she had to of given something that they would have to pay for and that was why the information was given up so easily.

Scatterblade shuttered his optics in annoyance. “The client was looking for me. She gave him false information. Pointed him in the wrong direction.”

Now the room went silent. No one spoke for a long while.

“You?” Jazz practically whispered. “She sold intel on you?” He couldn't believe what he was saying, what he had heard. He never would have thought the femme would do anything like that.

“She mislead him?” Ironhide sounded doubtful. “Then why bother at all?”

“For the chance to save lives,” Ratchet defended quickly.

“It seems like a tactical advantage, aside from the fact she allowed herself to be traced,” Prowl interjected, speaking for the first time.

“She was trying to protect me,” Scatterblade said firmly. “Are we just going to sit here and see what happens? I have no idea what kind of ‘bot she’s meeting. We have no clue about what she’s going up against.”

“We have to prepare the base for a possible attack before we can do anything else,” Prowl stated, already making plans in his head. “I will contact Red Alert and have him get as much of the emergency security systems up as he possibly can. We should alert the humans and ensure all stations are manned.”

“Very well,” Optimus agreed. “Prowl, Ironhide, see to it.” The mech then looked to Scatterblade, knowing what the front-liner would say. “We have to trust that Illusory knows what she is doing. If we do not take advantage of what time she is gaining us, we would be foolish and her efforts would have been futile.”

Scatterblade vented hard, giving Prime a nod.

The moment the information was delivered, the base came alive like wildfire. Humans and 'bots alike rushed to get to their designated station, double checked all of their supplies, locked down everything that had to be. Everything went very smoothly, as if they had worked together forever – it was almost awe inspiring to watch, disregarding the fact that they were preparing for a possible attack.

Scatterblade helped where he could and stayed out of the way where he couldn’t but the not knowing what was going on with Illusory was eating at him.

Once everything was settled, everyone sat waiting; the base nearly falling into silence as all eyes turned toward the horizon and the sky above them, searching for any sign of the Decepticons.

***

Illusory approached the meeting point with far more caution this time; her sensors on high seeking the hunter she knew would likely be laying in wait for her. She stuck close to the foliage and overhangs, keeping her from sight.

Nightwarp was no fool, he knew this time the shadowy one would be on her guard, but he hadn't lived this long by being careless either. He sent her to the location he provided, yet he was not to be there. He was some distance away, near the entrance to the canyon, and let her pass him. She wouldn't expect him to let her pass, unlike last time. He watched her go, then transformed and stalked forward. He followed a long distance behind.

A faint sound alerted the femme that all was not right and she stiffened. “Very well,” she muttered to herself dashing to the rendezvous point. If she were to be followed, then let him keep pace with her.

'How cute,' he thought and also dashed out, opening a comm to her ::How cute, your working out for me, but the fun time is over. Time for business femme, I thought that’s how you dealt?::

::I deal faceplate to faceplate, hunter. Not to those that stalk me to an arranged meeting.::

::Had to make sure you weren't bringing friends now didn't I? Since your now friendly friendly with everyone or so I’ve heard,:: sarcasm dripped from every word he spoke. ::Now, come here femme and let us talk.::

::You treat me with disrespect, hunter. I see your Decepticon roots are still firmly implanted in your processor. Have I ever dealt you poor business? Have I ever lead a client into ambush? You are a fool, Nightwarp for treating me this way. What business do you have now?:: The femme found an easily escape-able perch to stand on and glared at the approaching mech. ::You threaten me with exposing my current location...but for what purpose?::

As he stalked through the foliage he spoke aloud. "Comes with being an ex-Decepticon, I do what I must to stay alive femme, and that means not trusting anyone and to be very, VERY careful." He came to the bottom of the overhang she was on. "Your location? Your location means nothing to me, spy. Disrespect you? HA! I am a ...was...a Decepticon, I don’t care for your feelings or your respect, or friendship. You are a means to an end, spy. A tool to be used. And a tool in this case, that needed to be...properly motivated." He grew more angry then. "I know you know where my target is... either you tell me where he is, OR the Decepticons will ravage this world looking for his sorry aft!"

“Sure, another world sacrificed to your foolish war...” the femme vented heavily. “I do not claim to know where your target is, but I have not claimed to not know either. I have information that I sell and I have imparted upon you a worthy amount for the sparse piece of slag you sold me. If I am your tool, ex-Decepticon...than perhaps you should be more wary of how you use me. What more will you sell me for more information?” Inside the femme was heaving with pure rage. She was used to being treated poorly by the Decepticons – it was practically their programming – but she despised being dragged into the war. Even if she cared for the small organic creatures of this planet, and even though she had sworn to protect them with everything she had, there was no cause or reason for her to be manipulated by the pitting of one side upon the other. “You should make it good, hunter. My prices just went up.”

"Your price just went up? HAHAHAHHAHAHA! Your price is the continued functioning of those fleshbags, and of your new Autobot friends on this world. I know you are lying to me, and that just fuels my rage more! Give me HIS LOCATION OR THEY ALL DIE!!" He screamed, making a cutting motion with his arm to prove the point.

“I care nothing for the Autobots. You make assumptions, hunter.” Still, what was she going to do to stop him? “If your precious Decepticons choose to destroy this planet, I will simply move on.” It was a lie. A big one, but she had to remain aloof, especially with the mech's rising ire. “Give me something better.”

"I’m not here to trade with you, I’m here for you to give me what I need or they will all perish, I care not for them, or for the Autobot, you do. I know you were on that military base, so you’re obviously working with the humans, and the Autobots or do you take me for a COMPLETE FOOL, FEMME??" At that moment, a car motor was heard, a Park ranger was driving home after his shift, he could see the car some distance off and a mischievous glint came to his optics. He took out his rifle and fired a salvo at the car. "NOW THEIR DEATHS ARE ON YOUR SPARK!" The plasma discharge stuck the car; astro-seconds later it became a pile of metals and plasma. The occupant incinerated before he could even comprehend anything, the fire lit up the road. "Now do I have you attention femme?"

Illusory was outraged, beyond outraged. “Mech, you are a fool.” She stuffed down her urge to leap upon him and strike him for what he had just so sparklessly done, but she knew that would be her own death. “I go where the currency is. Autobots and human military alike are very willing to purchase the information I possess...and I benefit greatly from their deep reserves. You mistake business for something more.” She vented, adding a huff of disapproval for Nightwarp's benefit. ::Scatterblade,:: she transmitted over a private comm. ::This is not going so very well, I hope your Autobots are prepared for a fight.::

The mech jumped in relief at her transmission. 'Thank Primus.' ::We are. You faring alright?::

"That may be so, but I have a feeling you are LYING to me to protect someone, or something. You KNOW where my prey is, yet you deny me...so you must choose...your friend...or the people of this planet, which has more value to you, hmm? Think about this femme. He is but one spark. Or I could BLAST YOU RIGHT NOW!" he screamed as he leveled the rifle at her "and extract the information from your memory banks!"

Illusory tensed, taking a step back. ::I...do not think this is going to last much longer. He has degraded to threats. I am sorry, Scatterblade, but I do not think I can deter him from revealing the base.:: “You could try,” she said slyly as she turned from her perch and ducked into the cover the forest offered her. ::He has already destroyed one human vehicle...I do not know how many were inside, but I believe it may have only been the park ranger.:: She tried to keep the panic from her voice as she transmitted, but with her focus split as it was it was almost a lost effort.

Scatterblade’s circuits nearly froze. “Oh Primus...Prime..? The ‘Con just attacked a human. I don’t think they made it out...”

"Oh, I like it when my femmes play hard to get," he crooned with a smirk and leaped after her. He quickly switched to thermal vision to help track her signature through the foliage. He activated his wrist daggers on his free arm to help cut through obstacles that his much larger frame couldn't navigate.

Illusory called upon all of her skills of maneuverability, dodging through the trees almost as if they didn't exist and finding ways through the canyon walls that were small, but not too small for her slight frame. She could hear Nightwarp chasing her and her spark raced. She had little clue as to where to run to here – this was not like Cybertron where she knew the ins and outs of nearly every meeting place she'd ever dared go to. 'Not good, not good!' She chanted to herself as she pushed her limits as hard as she could.

The ex-con transformed to his motorcycle mode, the narrow form allowing him to maneuver yet the added speed helping to catch up to the femme ::Stop playing games, femme. Tell me what I want and you will walk out of here! And so will the fleshies, AND even your Autobots friends! Delay me too long and the automatic transmission of the coordinates will happen!! Be reasonable or be a foolish femme, either way I will get what I need and I’ll get paid!" He shouted at her as he darted left and right and over boulders.

::I give nothing away for free, hunter!:: She snarled back. Finally finding a place she deemed safe enough, the femme stopped. ::I will give you what you search for, but you will give me something worthy in return.:: She brought her venting down to a steady pace, cooling her systems. Again she called out on her private comm with the Autobot front-liner.

With short orders a group of Autobots and humans were gathered to chase after the mysterious client Illusory had met with.

“One problem,” Sunstreaker pointed out restlessly, “we don't know where to find them.”

All optics turned to Scatterblade.

He sent out the coordinates he was getting from the private comm to the officers.

With the coordinates set, the small band of interceptors headed out at top speed.

“Try to recover him alive – we may need to know what he knows,” Optimus ordered as he watched the team go. Normally he would have been a part of it, but with an attack on the base still pending, he knew his skills were far better served there.

Scatterblade tried hard not to sped ahead of everyone. He knew his job and when he needed to follow orders. Now seemed like exactly one of those times.

::That’s where your wrong, I give you something. I give you safety for your friends and the pathetic fleshlings of this world, and you reject it? I don’t understand you femme!:: He stopped near her signature. Although lower in temperature she was still much hotter than the surrounding forest. He switched to higher gear and vaulted over a boulder, transforming in mid air and landing a few feet from her. "Time's up femme!" he growled looking right into her optics.

Fear was apparent in the femme's optics. She never was one for confrontation. “Ah don't give uh slag about them,” she growled venomously. “That is why you do not understand, hunter!” Still, with the mech so close, she had one last card to play.

Grabbing the mech's chest plating, she clung to him like some pearl colored parasite and allowed one of her tap wires to slither from its normal protected hiding place. With an ease that felt far too practiced to be natural, the femme tapped the mech's systems and began a rapid download. Her entire frame ceased as the program hacked through the mech's memory banks, locking her completely to his frame, and trapping her within her own processor.

The mech roared in pain and shock, this he had _not_ expected. He tried helplessly to pull the femme off him but half the input commands he sent weren’t reaching his limbs. "WHAT... DO...T..E FEE?" He screamed. The coordination in his arms too weakened by the hack to be effective, his energon daggers leaving only knicks on his and her chassis as he tried to cut his way out from the femme's death lock.

Illusory was nothing as she downloaded every tic of information she came across. Everything she wanted and didn't want to know being rapidly stored in her own processor for later sorting. She was as stiff as a statue and as heavy as dead weight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nightwarp is a character written by a guest participant in this RPG story.


	22. Event Twenty Two

Event Twenty-Two

~

_Recovering from reality sometimes takes several illusions that what has shattered will be quickly repaired._

~

 

The team, consisting of Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Dino, Scatterblade and Jazz traveled at the quickest pace they could to reach the femme and the mech that she was supposedly 'doing business' with.

Scatterblade found it hard to calm down. Normally the time getting somewhere was spent getting his head together and into whatever plan was set, but this time he was furious. He didn’t care what happened to the bot, as long as Illusory was alright and came out of this in one piece and the ‘Con was in pieces he would be happy.

When the team came upon the last known location for Illusory, they all came up short.

The femme was sitting – if it could be called sitting – on top of the rather still form of a dark colored mech. Her optics were bright, but there was no awareness there as she stared off into nothingness, her systems screaming loudly with some unknown process demanding more power than she could provide.

“What the slag is this?” Sunstreaker demanded as he took on his bipedal mode and moved forward to examine the situation, his blaster firmly locked on the still form of the dark mech.

Scatterblade’s transformation was complete when he skidded to a stop. He picked up the downed femme. “Illusory. Illusory!” He tried to rouse her, knowing her systems couldn't take much more. “Come on, get up.”

“South-south-east, one-hundred-seventy-two point forty-seven kilometers,” the femme droned in a very monotone voice. “Code alpha-foxtrot-six-one-nine-nine-beta-three...” she continued for several kliks.

“What is all that?” Dino asked as he studied the strange femme.

“Location an' code, but fer what?”

“Illusory, please,” Scatterblade pleaded firmly, “you need to snap out of it. Come back to us.”

There was another breem of the femme reciting random things; numbers and codes mostly before her systems seemed to slow. “Download and file; complete.” Her optics dimmed, shuttered then focused on the mech in front of her. “Scatterblade? What are you doing here?”

He vented in relief. “Came to help you.”

“Oh,” it seemed as if she couldn't understand why for a moment, then alarm took over. “Primus! You should not be out here, he is looking for you!”

“Ah don't think he's lookin' fer anyone right now...” Jazz pointed to where Dino and Sideswipe had hauled the unmoving mech up between them.

“Stasis,” Sideswipe confirmed with a nod. “I don't know what you did, femme, but you did good.”

“What I did?” Illusory looked at Nightwarp's immobile frame for a moment as if pondering what she should tell them. “I...was not really thinking.”

“Are you alright? Didn’t hurt you?” He asked, lifting the femme to her feet.

“I am fine,” she said as she looked herself over. Her frame felt a little detached from the rapid download process, but overall she was functional.

“Good. Let's get this slag heap back to base,” Scatterblade growled more to himself than anyone else.

Illusory nodded in agreement, then looked troubled by something. “The transmitter,” she shook her head, turning away from the base. “I have to stop it before it launches the base location to the Decepticons!”

Jazz laid a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back in the direction the others were already hauling their current captive. “Lu, don't'cha think they'd have learned eventually? It's not like we got this place heavily undercover or anythin'; it was only uh matter of time.”

“But that time does not have to be now!” She pulled away from the saboteur and trotted off in the direction of the device. If there was one thing she appreciated about her processor alterations, it was that she could usually pull pertinent information up quickly. Sure, it left her a little dazed and confused, but at least she knew what direction to go.

“Illusory,” Scatterblade scrambled after her. “Let me help you. Where is it?”

The femme only paused for a moment, a part of her thrilled that Scatterblade wanted to come with her, but another part still afraid there might be something laying in wait for him. “It could be another trap...” she warned.

Scatterblade felt his anger from before fading away. “I run head long into everything. It's the only way I do things...why do you think I became a front-liner?”

“Not the most intelligent way to do things...” she mumbled, though with some amount of humor as she lead the way. “Just be careful, please? I would rather not have the guilt of you coming to harm on my processor.” 'Any more than it already is,' she added silently.

“Hey,” he said putting his hand on her shoulder and grinning at her, “I will.”

The femme smiled, fleeting though it was. Time was not on their side, they had a long way to go and not much time to get there. She shared the location over a private link with the mech, it was the same co-ordinance she had rambled off while still in her rapid download stupor.

He nodded taking a running start before transforming and punching it for speed.

Illusory poured on as much speed as she could, given how much energy she had expended over the past few Earth days and how little she had replaced, her top speed was much below what it would normally have been. Still, it was enough for her to keep pace with Scatterblade. They arrived at the destination without much time to spare.

The area was rather desolate; only a single plateau rising from the barren desert. Several feet below the peak of the formation there was a jutted rock, marking an imperfection in the rock face.

“It must be there,” Illusory said as she pointed.

The mech activated his battle mask and quickly calculated a way down to the rock.

Being small and with little armor was a disadvantage in many ways of war, but when it came to maneuvering and speed, it was extremely advantageous. Illusory was able to lever herself over the edge of the cliff face and twist herself to a decent footing. “There is a decent place to hold on over here,” she called, indicating an area that she thought Scatterblade would be able to climb down.

Scatterblade was quick to follow her directions. “Do I just smash it, or does this thing need precision?” He asked as he slid to the next foothold point.

“Uh...” Illusory tried to find the data specifically on the device, but it was still in bits and pieces scattered throughout her storage dump. “I am not for sure, but I do not know that it has a failsafe on it.” She dropped to the jutting ledge, finding a small cave – hardly even ten feet deep – hiding just beyond the edge. “I suppose smashing it would work...”

“Alrighty then,” the mech grinned. “A semblance of a plan, I can work with that.” He followed her into the cave.

“Smashing is a plan?” The femme laughed, some ease finding its way back into her frame. The machine sat inconspicuously in a small nook near the floor. It was neither big, nor fancy, but obviously made for its function. “So much trouble for something so little,” she muttered dragging the two foot cylindrical structure from its hiding spot. “Have at it,” she invited as she stepped back from the thing.

Scatterblade grinned, pulling out one of his swords eagerly. “Almost not worth it, but it'll make me feel better,” he quipped, raising the glowing blade then brought it down harshly upon the device. He repeated the gesture several times until he was satisfied that it was destroyed and his pent up anger had dissipated.

Despite that the thing was nothing but a nuisance, Illusory found herself flinching at the violence. It was hardly the first time she had seen such aggression – and definitely not the worst – but it still bothered her on some level to watch.

Once the device was nothing but a pile of scrap, the mech sheathed his sword, venting happily. “That should do the trick.”

“I sure hope so...” Illusory vented as she examined the mess before turning back to the cliff face. It was a decent view of the vast openness of the desert, but it was so...empty. Barren of anything. “Like home,” she muttered before reaching for a good hold to start hauling herself back up. Scatterblade followed right behind her.

Their return trip to base was quiet. Illusory kept a steady pace, slow for what she would normally take, but still slightly above the speed limit for the roads they traveled. “Thank you,” she said after they had been traveling for a while, “for coming after me.”

“You're welcome.” Scatterblade grinned, though the gesture was hidden within his alt mode. “I'm glad you're okay,” he added somewhat lamely. It wasn't really what he wanted to say, but it was close enough.

“I have to admit, I was surprised.”

Scatterblade swerved a bit with surprise. “Why...why were you surprised?”

“I was sure that after what I had done, you would be done with me. It was...inexcusable.”

The mech was silent for a moment, pondering what he should say to that. “I don't really know how to take it. I like you too much to just end it like that,” he practically mumbled.

Illusory slowed to a stop. The base was just in view now and they could be there in less than a breem, but she wasn't eager to return at this point. “You like me too much to hate me for selling you to one of your hunters?” She tried to keep her own self loathing out of her voice as she said it. “I cannot believe that.”

The Bonneville pulled over to join her. “I would put it in less negative words, but yes.” He vented softly. “The thing is you didn't. You didn't tell him where I was, you rushed off to destroy that transmitter...it was just a temptation you fell to. It happens to everyone.”

Not really sure what to say, Illusory took the moment to consider everything. After all that had happened, who was here beside her? Scatterblade had taken the chance that all of it could have been a trap just to come after her. He willingly followed her into the desolate desert to find the transmitter. “You...really mean that?”

“Yes,” he laughed at the strange awe in the femme's voice. “You mean a lot to me.”

“But you hardly know me...” granted, she hardly knew him either and she wasn't sure she knew what she would do without him around, but she wasn't a warrior. Warriors were supposed to be a little more shrewd when it came to that kind of thing...weren't they?

He felt his systems heat a little. “I know I like being around you. I know I like how you slip sometimes and talk differently. I know that I like your laugh. Maybe it's not much, but right now being with you is what I need. I...” he paused, considering the emotions surging within him. “I've let a lot of bad memories haunt me. Losing my team...but since I met you, it's been getting easier and and easier to let go. I'll never be okay with how they went, but the memories don't hurt so much anymore. Trusting in someone again has been so...liberating.”

“Trust?” Illusory took her bipedal mode to properly stare at the mech. “You trust me?” The shock on her face was pure dumbfounded surprise. Her spark fluttered oddly in its casing at his words and she felt like she wanted to run and like she wanted to get as close to him as she could at the same time. She was confused to say the least.

Scatterblade stood in his own bipedal mode to express his own look of confusion and pity. His features softened and his grin played on his face plates. “Yes, I do trust you. It really hasn't been much of a debate in my mind.”

It was such a strange feeling. 'Trust' wasn't real in her world, it was a word that meant 'I will do as good for you as you do for me until I can get one up on you'...but it was different coming from Scatterblade. A smile warred with a worried frown on her face. She was happy but concerned. “Why?”

The mech felt slightly stumped. He had problems convincing her about these kinds of things before, how was he going to make her understand his intentions without it coming out wrong? “Partly because I need to and partly because I want to. Even back in Logan, when you shot at me,” he chuckled at the memory, “you were...kind to me. You didn't immediately push me away.”

“I...was lonely,” she admitted shyly, “and you were nice, even though I shot you.” That seemed to hit her a little hard. “Primus, I shot you and you still trust me? I don't understand.”

Scatterblade laughed good and hard. He couldn't help it, it all sounded ridiculous the way she said it. “That was then,” he vented, composing himself again. “It's been a while since that day. Things have changed. In the little time that its been, you've changed. It's been fun seeing you open up more. Guess the point I'm trying to make is, that it doesn't matter now.”

“Ah don't know how ta...I don't know how I should respond to that,” she admitted studying the mech before her. “It seems very irrational of you...but...I am happy to hear it.”

Venting with the remnants of a chuckle in his voice. “It'll be something you just gotta work on understanding. Think you got one too many logic circuits put in during assembly,” he teased.

“Hn,” the femme smirked mischievously, “and I think you received one too few.”

“Hey!” He laughed at the unexpected response, then shook his head. “Smart. Smart aft,” he groused with good humor.

“One of us has to be,” she chuckled as she turned toward base. “I suppose we should get back; let them know the device was terminated and check on Charlie.”

Scatterblade nodded, stifling more laughter. He liked this more playful side of the femme. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Illusory started back, walking at an easy pace. She was eager to see Charlie again, worried for the human. They had taken off in such a rush, she was sure Charlie would be worried if she heard any of what was going on. Still, the femme was tired. Exhausted. For some reason knowing that Scatterblade wasn't about to turn away from her, that he actually wanted to be around her, made her feel so at ease she could almost fall to recharge on her feet.

When they reached the base , they were immediately bombarded by humans and bots all demanding to know what had happened.

Scatterblade tried his best to explain to everyone at the same time, but it seemed impossible. After five times he just gave up and herded Illusory straight to the med bay and Charlie's room. They could all just read the reports.

The femme was all too willing to be ushered away from the masses, there were too many wary optics and the humans crowding around made her nervous. When they reached the relative seclusion of the med bay, she vented so hard she almost collapsed. “How do you deal with so many bots around all the time!?” It had left her unnerved and uncomfortable. She was used to being mostly on her own, maybe one or two others around at any given time. Being on the base alone had been a little nerve-wracking but having so many demanding attention all at once was beyond her.

“It takes practice,” the mech vented. He was by far a more social being, but even he felt drained by so many beings pressing his attention. Leading the way to Charlie's room, the mech was the first to be bombarded by the redhead's outrage.

“What the Hell happened?! First thing I know everyone's rushing around like mad and Ratchet shoved me back in here!”

“Oh, it was...there was...a...” Illusory stammered ungracefully at the outburst. “There was a situation that had the opportunity to escalate into something really dangerous, but it has been taken care of now. I am sorry you had to go through that.”

Charlie immediately felt repentant and her face showed it. It often escaped her that her alien friends were in a great conflict, that they were fighting for their lives and their futures. It was easy to forget that they weren't just friends living normal lives. Wincing and biting her lip she took a deep breath. “Sorry, you just really freaked me out. In the scramble, I didn't even know you guys were in the middle of it. Ratchet told me, but he didn't give me any details. It just...really scared me. I was worried about you.”

“Everything's alright now,” Scatterblade offered in attempt to soothe the woman.

Charlie laughed, though it was a sound of disbelief. “Now we have to deal with your rouge pretender _and_ this Decepticreep.”

“Both threats have been neutralized for the time being. Charlie, I know this is very stressful for you, but you have to keep calm and focus on your recovery. Then we will take you home and you can forget all of this ever happened.” Illusory didn't know why she felt like she was lying, but a part of herself hated that she was telling Charlie that things could be normal again. Things would never be normal for the human now.

Charlie balked at the femme. “I highly doubt that last part. I can pretend to live a normal life, but come on...who are you kidding? I've never liked normal to begin with anyway.”

“It's safer though,” Scatterblade spoke up. “Our lives are so much different than yours. You have to worry about school, work, family; you gotta keep that in mind.”

Charlie took a breath to speak, but let it out in a huff, rolling her eyes. “How can I forget about you guys?” A frown took over her features. Not only was it something she  _couldn't_ do, but something she didn't want to do.

Illusory lowered herself to the floor, making herself comfortable. “Maybe 'forget' is too strong a word. Perhaps, 'put it behind you' is a better way to say it?”

Charlie's frown deepened. After a few seconds of contemplation, her features softened. “I don't belong in this mess...do I?”

Scatterblade tried to come up with some answer, but found himself without words.

“No one belongs in this mess, Charlie,” the femme vented. “Unfortunately you were dragged in...and for that I am sorry.”

Charlie sighed. “Don't be. This is more fun than I've ever had in my entire life.” She smiled up at her friends warmly.

“You have a strange definition of fun,” Scatterblade chuckled. “It's almost like mine.”

The woman's smile broadened at the comment.

“That's not a good thing,” he amended warningly.

Illusory looked horrified for a moment before dropping her head into her hands. “Oh...doom. Doom, doom, doom...that's is what this is.”

“What?” Scatterblade was confused by the femme's reaction.

“If THIS is your idea of FUN...I do not believe I wish to know what would be a bad time for you.” She looked between Charlie and Scatterblade with a very scornful look. “Either of you.”

The pair glanced at each other, then burst into laughter.

When Charlie finally caught her breath she did her best to assure the femme. “I've never done anything like this, ever. Trust me, this is all a one time thing.”

“I certainly hope so,” the femme vented, leaning against the wall and studying her two companions. She smiled at them feeling relaxed for the first time all orn.

Charlie laughed some more, settling on her bed with legs crossed. The mech did the same venting heavily to cool his taxed systems, grateful for this moment of relaxation.

The three chatted for a while before the bots were chased off by Jolt. Illusory only went agreeably because she was in need of recharge.

“Hey, Illusory!” A familiar voice called out as they exited the med bay. “I know you don't have assigned quarters or anything,” Sideswipe hinted as he approached the pair.

Scatterblade glared at the twin but found himself falling for the obvious bait. ::You can take my berth,:: he offered the femme. ::I can recharge in alt mode.::

“Thank you, Sideswipe, but I have already made arrangements.” She smiled at him before moving on.

Sideswipe winked at the black front-liner before moving on his way as well, calling out: “I bet you did.”

Illusory vented softly at the comment, but said nothing about it. “Thank you for your offer, but it isn't really fair that I take your berth.”

“Where are your arrangements then?” He asked with concern.

“I will be staying in one of the extra hangers.” She pointed in the direction the hanger they had been kept in when they had first arrived.

“Oh,” he didn't feel quite right with the option, but couldn't exactly force the femme to do differently. “Get some rest, I'll...see you when I see you.”

“Yes, you too,” the femme nodded heading away. She was looking forward to a good recharge, it didn't really matter where it was.

***

Wheeljack paced around the main room of the med bay with a rather pensive look. It doesn't make sense that 'Blade didn't even know it had come online...then it does all that?”

“There's something more than just a simple pretender program. Has to be.” Ratchet vented, rubbing a hand over his face. “Unless Scatterblade is lying, which I highly doubt.”

“No,” Wheeljack dismissed the thought immediately. “That mech's not the kind to lie...just doesn't fit 'im.”

“We've been fooled before,” Ratchet reminded. “But still, I agree with you.”

“So, what do we do with it?”

“Take it apart? Find out what went wrong?”

“You could simply ask,” the bot's voice announced from the pretender.

Both mechs turned to the small pretender, a look of uncertainty and shock on their faces.

“Who are you?” Ratchet asked finally. “You're not Scatterblade, we already know that, so who is using this pretender program?”

The pretender grinned amused. “No one controls me. Not anymore.”

“So you've gone rogue? How's that even possible?” Wheeljack was far more curious than alarmed by the thought.

Ratchet, however, was sufficiently alarmed for the both of them. “You can't operate on your own...”

The pretender actually laughed at the medic's response. “You have no idea what kinds of...” he chuckled malevolently, “'projects' the Decepticons have. I was never even an official one...just a side hobby you might say.”

“Why don't you tell us?” Ratchet growled, not liking the idea of what he knew Decepticons could get up to with their lacking moral codes.

“Were ya alive before all this?” Wheeljack asked, completely overstepping Ratchet's own question as he moved closer to the small form. “Do ya have uh spark in there somewhere? Why can't we can it?”

“I'd be happy to,” the pretender snarked to Ratchet, stepping away from the over-curious engineer, “if I'd been to class on that particular day. All I know is I woke up and I'm not part of that glitched coward.”

“Woke up?” Ratchet scanned the pretender again; it still registered as nothing more than what it had before. “Why did you take the girl?”

That little prompt reigned in Wheeljack's curiosity, reminding him that this interesting little bot had something dangerous about it and he quickly leaned back. “Yeah, why take Charlie?”

“Ah, the one thing I do know and you want to take it from me? What do you think?”

“I think you would be better off cooperating with us.” Ratchet glared at the pretender.

He sighed dramatically. “I can't reveal my mission,” he answered simply.

“You'll have no mission if you're deactivated,” the medic pointed out.

The pretender glared at the medic, tight lipped. “It was bait. That piece of scrap wasn't finished when he turned tail,” he relented bitterly.

“They're stil after Scatterblade,” Ratchet vented. “What would you have done if you had succeeded in getting him there?”

“Left,” he said simply. “I'd have gotten to disappear while the Decepticons got on with their little toy.”

“You really think that would have worked? I seriously doubt they created you inside Scatterblade just to let you walk away.”

“Ha! I'm not that naïve,” he growled. “You didn't detect me last time. I would have escaped them just as easily.”

“We didn't know what ya were!” Wheeljack defended. “If we'd have known, we'd have watched out fer ya.”

“That's right,” Ratchet agreed. “They know more about you than you do, I'm sure. They won't let you just slip away.”

“True, though that wasn't exactly what I was talking about,” he grinned knowingly.

“What _did_ you mean, then?” The medic didn't like this. He was seriously considering contacting Ironhide, or Prowl – someone who was better at negotiations than himself. In fact, he realized, he needed to at least let Optimus know about this new development. ::Prime, we have an...issue with that pretender shell.::

::Explain.::

::Well, maybe it would be easier if you came and talked to the slagging thing yourself,:: he vented to cool his temper some. ::Its just revealed its mission was to draw Scatterblade out.::

“Don't go frying your circuits. I didn't have control before,” the pretender said cryptically.

Wheeljack looked dumbfounded by this statement. “How did you not have control then? Who did?”

Ratchet decided he was done with this; negotiations were hardly in the description of 'medic'. He had patients to check on anyway. ::Optimus, you might want to bring Prowl with you. Actually, I'd highly recommend it.::

::On my way.::

The pretender glanced at the medic, amused by his discomfort and annoyance. He liked messing with these two, they were so easy...

“We could hack its systems,” Wheeljack suggested as he studied the pretender. He wasn't nearly as annoyed as Ratchet was. Annoyance wasn't really written into his programming leaving more room for curiosity. He was rather intrigued by the whole scenario.

“We'll leave that to Optimus and Prowl when they get here,” the medic grumbled, turning as if to leave. However, he didn't retreat just yet, deciding to wait until his leader and the SIC arrived.

“I wouldn't recommend that,” the pretender warned. “Wouldn't want to hurt the glitch's head.”

“You won't be hurting anyone,” Ratchet growled.

“Prowl's been doing really well with his glitch...”

“Wheeljack, shut up!”

The inventor looked annoyed but did as he was told. Prowl's glitch was no secret, so why shouldn't he mention how much better the mech was than he used to be?

“If anything happens to anyone around here and you have anything to do with it, you can be sure you will find yourself completely dismantled for spare parts,” the medic warned the small pretender.

“You're making a habit of misunderstanding me,” the pretender sighed, shaking his head.

“Then why don't you make yourself a little clearer,” the medic growled almost violently.

At that moment, three other mechs entered the med bay. Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Jazz.

“So, little bugger's got uh processor o' his own, huh?” Jazz asked as he slinked around the others to get a better look at the pretender.

The small bot narrowed his eyes with a grin directed toward the Prime, though he chose to address the group as a whole. “He was afraid to use me, afraid to show his beloved faction what happened to him,” he mocked menacingly.

“Okay, so now that you're active – what's gonna happen?” Jazz asked making himself comfortable leaning against the wall. Prowl took a defensive stance near Optimus, while Wheeljack remained where he was studying the pretender.

Ratchet gave one final annoyed growl and left the others to do what they wanted with the pretender.

“My whole week is ruined,” he quipped sounding too much like Scatterblade.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Prowl questioned, tone neutral.

“Exactly what it sounds like. I can't do my job.”

Jazz made a motion to indicate the pretender should expand on that. “Which is?”

“Scatterblade and I aren't complete. He needs to go back,” he snipped harshly.

“That will not happen,” Optimus assured.

“Yeah, mech's been through enough. He doesn't need no more torture at th' hands o' them so called scientists,” Jazz added.

The pretender chuckled. “Sure it won't,” he said sarcastically.

Prowl gave the little pretender a dark look. “I believe that the next action to be taken should be to manually download the information stored in the pretender memory banks to obtain the information we seek.”

“Well, but...” Wheeljack started protesting, though he really had nothing to offer against the suggestion. “Ah mean...its talkin'...shouldn't we just ask th' right questions?”

“It's uh pretender drone, 'Jack...” Jazz stated, though whether he was trying to make a point or not was unclear.

“I believe the choice will be made by our unusual guest here,” Optimsu indicated the pretender with a wave of his hand.

Jazz laughed. It was a disturbing sound, like he was panning things no one truly wanted to know about. “How'd ya prefer we proceed? Will ya answer our questions, or should ya be listed as uh errant piece o' equipment?”

The pretender dropped his cockiness and gave a level look to Optimus, ignoring the saboteur as best he could. “What do you want to know?” He sighed heavily.

“What did they do to Scatterblade and what are their intentions with him now?”

“It was payback mostly. Retribution put against him by one of the scientists. The one responsible had projects that needed prototypes and Scatterblade was a perfect medium for him to practice. I don't know much else; I know as much as 'Blade did.”

“Then why are ya tryin' ta get 'im back ta them?” Jazz asked, distrusting the explanation. “What's in it fer ya?”

“I want to be separated from him. He's too slagging cheerful,” he grumbled miserably. “The scientist was going to separate us when everything was over. I was supposed to be my own self and not a part of that...mech,” he ended with a slightly more pleasant word than he had used in his own mind.

“Ya believed that?” Jazz snorted huffily. “Ya know they'll tell ya whatever ya wanna hear if it makes ya do what they want ya to do, right? Yer probably just as expendable ta them as he is.”

The pretender tired not to grin. “It's not a promise he made to me; it's his end goal.”

Prowl shifted slightly as he thought about this. “What is the purpose of it?”

“Like I said before, it was mostly revenge. What's better than ripping a mech apart from the inside out and then watching as his innards walk away completely separate from him?”

Most everyone in the room shuddered at the thought.

“Fer what?” Jazz pushed off the wall, moving closer to the pretender, unperturbed by the graphic mental image painted. “What'd he do ta warrant such...treatment?”

“'Blade was supposed to take the Decepticon scientist in. He was a prisoner and Scatterblade was his captor. As it tends to go when transporting prisoners...bots got board. The scientist was getting back at him for tormenting him during his captivity.”

“All o' this is fer uh lil' bad handlin'?”

“It seems a little extreme,” Optimus added, though there was no disbelief in his voice. Decepticons were known to take small slights and turn them into large offenses; their scientists being some of the worse perpetrators.

“It would seem so,” Prowl agreed, “Yet the Decepticons have proven to react with greater force to far smaller incidences.”

Optimus vented with weary frustration. “So where do we go from here?”

“I would recommend ending the pretender mission; it is the only way to be sure it causes no more damage.”

“Ya mean deactivate it,” Wheeljack clarified with displeasure. He was fascinated by the prospect of the little pretender before them, though he was mortified that it had been created as nothing more than revenge against another mech.

The pretender looked as if he had come to terms with this fate long ago. “It's better than being connected to that coward,” he grumbled.

Jazz seemed to have enough of the pretender and flicked the little thing's head. “Bot's no coward.”

The pretender took the abuse with nothing but a glare to the offender. He was done talking.

“Deactivate it,” Prowl stated again.

“Wait, no! Don't! Not yet at least,” Wheeljack pleaded. “Lemme run some tests, get some more information about what those 'Con's are doin' with this technology. Maybe we can even find somethin' useful to us.”

“Ah'm with Prowler, deactivate th' lil' slagger.” Jazz glared at the pretender a little longer before resuming his aloof stance against the wall. “Or study it, whatever. As long as it don't get out again.”

Optimus was quiet for a time while he took in all the different options available to them. “Wheeljack, I leave the pretender in your hands; however, do take extreme measures to ensure there is no repeat of recent events.”

Wheeljack almost jumped with his enthusiasm. “Ya got it!”

Prowl looked displeased but did not argue with his leader's decision. Jazz gave the impression he really didn't care either way, though if one could see past the visor masking his optics, they would know he was silently promising to destroy the little pretender himself should something happen.

Their business reloved, Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz all left the med bay to continue on with their day.

Wheeljack scooped up the pretender, gentile despite the fact that none of the others were interested in the thing remaining online. “Sorry. They're uh bit rough when people get hurt; but Ah'll take care o' ya.” He carried the pretender to his workshop, tagging it with one of his personal transmitters. It was specifically designed to not be removed by anyone but himself and even then it was with great trouble to do so.

The pretender paid his kindness no mind, remaining still and silent. This was his fate. It could have been worse...should have been better.

***

Charlie had been sick of sleeping and wanted to explore the base more, maybe find some breakfast. She felt like she hadn't eaten the whole time she'd been there; though that was far from true. The human nurses had made sure she was fed properly. She could swear she had eaten better than she had ever eaten at school. Though that was easily achieved considering she forgot to eat more often than not, her attention always being swept up by whatever task she was doing that by the time she realized she had missed another meal it was too late or she was simply too tired to do anything about it.

Sneaking around the base wasn't going to be an option, she knew, so instead she decided to ask. Poking her head into the hall, she searched for anyone the might be able to give her permission to escape for a while, only to find it empty. With a small frown, she left the room behind in search of someone.

Illusory had not recharged well in far too long. When she had found that someone had brought a berth into the hanger she had been allowed, she could have hugged whomever it was. She had collapsed almost instantly on its surface and was in full recharge before she knew it.

Upon waking several joors later, she found herself well rested and low on fuel. She dragged herself up and out of the hanger to see what she could find to fix that problem.

She wasn't sure what made her think to go to the med bay first, but when she saw Charlie creeping around, she was happy she had made that decision. “Charlie, what are you doing?”

The woman jumped at the question; she hadn't heard anyone approaching. How could such big beings be so quiet? “Hey, Lu!” She smiled happily up at her friend. “I was going to walk around, I'm so sick of 'resting'. I'm getting restless. Thought I'd look for the kitchen or something,” she shrugged. “I was looking for someone to give me permission to leave for a while.”

“Very well, I will accompany you.” The femme knelt, offering to carry the human.

Charlie gladly took a seat on her hand, becoming rather accustomed to this kind of travel. “So, how have you and Scatterblade been?” She kept her tone light, despite her curiosity.

“Alright, I suppose,” Illusory shrugged. “I have not seen him since we parted ways to recharge.”

Charlie smirked but kept it to herself. “Just wondering if you guys...fixed it. Whatever _it_ was,” she said slyly.

“Oh...we...discussed a few things,” she admitted shyly. “I do not know about 'fixed', but I believe we may have a better understanding.” The femme left the med bay in search of the human's food dispensary.

Charlie giggled at the word 'understanding', reminding her of the Jane Austin definition. She nodded with a grin. “Okay.”

Upon locating the appropriate building, Illusory set Charlie down. The human building was far too small, even for her. “Go refuel, I will come back for you shortly.”

“See you soon,” she waved with her new hand.

Illusory watched the human go before turning to finish her own search to refuel. The commons area wasn't so far away and she knew there to be an energon dispensary there.

Walking into the building she tried to look inconspicuous as she headed to the line for food.

“Hey! Charlie!” Someone called from further inside the mess hall. “What are you doing out and about?” It was one of the doctors that had been seeing to Charlie's 'human needs' as it had been dubbed. He approached, not looking upset that she wasn't in the med bay, but did appear genuinely interested. “How are you feeling?”

The woman jumped at being called out and spun to face the man. “Oh, hi. Yeah, I'm fine. I was kinda getting cabin fever and I was hungry,” she admitted, waving toward the line she was standing in.

“Well, that's good! I'm happy to see you around.” He smiled, pulling her out of line and to the front. “Here,” he said as he grabbed a tray of food and shoved it in her hands, then collected one for himself. Some of the soldiers looked a little put out until they realized who was pushing them out of the way. They offered Charlie a smile, a nod, or a wave; all of them glancing at her new arm with interest. “Come sit with me.”

“Thanks,” she said waving and smiling back to the men as she passed. “So, you know mine, but I'm kinda foggy on your name.”

“Marc Tiegan, but most people call me Tibs. Don't ask.” He gestured to a table, setting his tray down as he pulled out a chair for Charlie.

She set her tray down and took the seat offered. “Nice to meet you, officially, Tibs.”

“It's good to meet you. Outside of the med bay that is. How is your arm functioning? Ratchet seemed to believe you were developing a good connection with it.”

As proof of the CMO's claim, she wiggled the fingers on her new arm and stretched it some as she spoke. “It's feeling better and better. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get the fingers to move right, but overall I'm doing good with it.”

“That's fantastic!” Tibs watched the movement of the hand closely. “This technology will help so many...” his voice drifted as he thought of how many lives could be changed by the alien technology applied like this. “You are incredibly brave for being the first to try it.”

Charlie grinned sheepishly. “Thanks. I think it was more trust than courage.”

“It takes courage to trust,” Tibs pointed out. “Especially to trust something not of this world.”

She shrugged. “I guess. They're incredible, and of all the people in the world to run into, Lu ran into me...it seemed too good to be true in the beginning. How can I not trust something so amazing?”

“In the beginning? Do you feel differently now?”

“It's almost normal now. They're my friends. Lu and Blade at least,” she amended.

“I see. That femme does seem to be very fond of you, Scatterblade too. Not all of the 'bots around here are so interested in humans. You are lucky in that aspect.”

“Realy? That's too bad.”

“It is, but you can hardly blame them. Some of them have really seen the worst side of us.” He shook his head slightly with shame. “But that's nothing to worry about now! Tell me about your time with those two.”

“We've kinda been on a road trip since they came back from here that last time,” she laughed, remembering all the places they had seen. Some things had been made more interesting simply by the way the bots had reacted to them. “It's been really fun watching them get to know each other,” she grinned, thinking of Illusory's most recent statement of an 'understanding'.

“Oh, really?” Tibs leaned in, looking for all the world like a high school boy getting the best dirt around. “Tell me more.”

“I don't want this to be anything more than just the three of us, I've been trying so hard not to tease them,” she sad softly so they wouldn't be overheard. “I think he likes her,” she offered a conniving grin.

Tibs smiled like a mad man at the news. “Do you suppose she returns the feelings?” There was a certain interest to him that went just a little beyond their feelings for each other.

“I can't get her to admit it, but I see something there.” Charlie shrugged, noting his eagerness on the subject and wondering if it was a good idea to tell him what she had.

“That's a shame. Their race is so dwindled, it would be fantastic to have a young couple.” A slightly alarmed look came over his face. “Oh! That probably sounds very perverse! I don't mean it like that...well, I guess I do, but I mean it in the best of interest for them as a species!” He covered his face with one hand, a foolish smile still pinned to his lips.

Charlie laughed at his outburst. “I get the gist. You're okay, it would be awesome to see. I'm rooting for them too.”

“Oh, good. I was afraid I'd just made an ass of myself.” He sat up and looked over his plate. “Let's hope for the best.”

“Yeah, I hope one of them gets up the courage to say it.”

***

Illusory drank her energon quickly; her systems really demanded more, but she knew better than to take in too much at once. She relaxed at one of the tables in the commons area, letting the fluid do its work and letting everything just settle around her. She vented happily. It had been a very long time since she had felt so at ease and she was relishing the feeling.

Scatterblade had been driving around the compound, not really going anywhere, just driving around and enjoying the early morning air. Soon he pulled into the compound, stretching to his full height and headed to the commons room for a little energon. He was surprised to see the femme sitting so relaxed at one of the far tables. “Hey, Lu,” he greeted.

“Scatterblade,” she returned with a smile.

“How are you doing today?”

“I am well, how about yourself?”

“I'm doing great,” he grinned. “Good recharge cycle, a great morning. It's been wonderful.”

“I have to say that a full recharge was exactly what I needed,” the femme smiled happily.

“That's good to hear,” he took a seat next to her.

“Charlie is looking well. I left her at the human dispensary a while ago; I should probably head back shortly to meet her again.” She considered her empty cuge of energon.

“That's wonderful to hear,” he vented gratefully. “I was kinda worried about her.”

“SO was I,” the femme agreed. “I do not imagine that they will keep her here much longer. She will be able to return home...” she rolled the empty cube between her hands remembering their conversation before everything had essentially blown up. “Will you be returning with us?” Sure, the mech had said he liked to be around her, but did that mean he would stay with her? With them?

“Of course,” he grinned, no hesitation in his answer. “You're stil my partner. I mean...that didn't come out right! I mean we were assigned so...but that doesn't mean that I...” he vented finally deciding to just shut his mouth instead of continuing to make things sound worse.

Illusory laughed, loudly and more honestly than she had in a while. “Oh, I understand,” she assured him, a large grin pinned to her face. “I am glad to have you as my partner, Scatterblade. Thank you for sticking with me...with us.” Her cooling fans kicked on as her core temperature rose with her own embarrassment, but she was far too happy laughing at Scatterblade's awkwardness to care about her own. Today was a good day.

The mech found it easy to laugh with her. It was uplifting to hear her laugh so freely and he wasn't going to miss the chance to enjoy it. “Always,” he promised. “Let's go see how Charlie's doing.”

“All right!” The femme hopped lightly to her feet, feeling so at ease for the moment she could practically feel herself floating as she walked.

The trip to the mess hall was short and uneventful. Illusory found a good place to lean against the building and wait for Charlie, Scatterblade easily sliding up next to her. Close enough to be friendly without being intrusive.

***

Charlie laughed again as she continued with the story she had been telling. “So, my little brother takes the carpet knife and slits the trampoline right down the middle, climbs on and starts jumping again, then comes to me asking why he can't jump as high anymore!”

“I'm impressed he didn't fall!” Tibs laughed right along side the woman. “That's almost as good as the time my buddy Rick climbed on top of the garage claiming that he knew how to fly...we took all the right precautions of course – laying out every soft thing we could find in the area we knew he'd fall – but what nobody counted on was the fact that the garage roof hadn't been replaced in nearly two decades. He fell right through and into the feed bin!”

Charlie laughed hysterically at the image. “Oh, wow!” She sighed, trying to get her giggles under control again. “Gosh, I miss them.”

“You were away at college before you came here, right?” The man tried to recall. “When will you go home for a visit?”

“Hopefully in time for Christmas,” she nodded, affirming his first question. “I Skyped with them after I came back from the hospital. It was so unreal to them. I wonder how they'll react to this?” She lifted her hand, turning it slowly to inspect the new limb.

“Hopefully postiviely,” Tibs suggested with a raised eybrow. “Though you still know you can't tell them exactly what it is. No showing of for showboating. Just try to act natural.” His eyebrows pinched together in a look of semi-confusion. “Well, as natural as you can with an alien technology created prosthetic.”

Charlie laughed at the change in his expression. “Yeah, I know. You think maybe we can get something to make it look a little less...shiny”

“Well, we have a silicone glove that you can put over it for the time being; but Wheeljack assured everyone that he had installed some holo-projector-whichamicallit-whatever that would disguise it without the glove. It's up to you which you'd prefer to use.”

“Sweet,” she grinned enthusiastically. “That'll be great. The glove can work 'til Wheeljack's stuff is ready.”

“It should be ready now.” Tibs leaned over, grabbing her arm without thinking much of it and finding the very tiny access panel. Inside he hit a small button that hardly stood out at all against all the other metal and then watched as a soft sheen came over the limb.

Charlie took the unintentional abuse with a grin and watched in fascination as Tibs manipulated the controls.

He played around with some of the other practically indecipherable controls within the arm until the color matched Charlie's skin tone almost perfectly, then closed the panel and released her arm. “If you ask me, it almost looks too perfect; but it's fantastic none the less.”

When he was done, Charlie stared at her arm, leaning back in her seat in a slow shock. Her pulse quickened and she took a deep breath to keep herself from tearing up. A bark of laughter escaped her, then she stared at it again and laughed some more.

“You approve, I take it?”

Her chest tightened. She was afraid to talk for fear her voice would crack so she simply nodded instead. She looked over the too-real looking limb some more before she spoke. “Um, I'm gonna get some air,” she said with a shaky voice, then rushed form the mess hall.

“Oh...okay.” Tibs wasn't sure if he should follow her and make sure she was okay or not, but decided that there were enough people around that if anything happened, someone would be there. Instead he busied himself with cleaning up their trays.

The tears started to fall before Charlie made it outside of the building, but she raced forward blindly until she felt fresh air, then pressed her back into the building and slid to a sitting position. She let the tears fall then, soft sounds escaping her as she tried to come to terms with the emotions waging war inside her.

Illusory stiffened at the sound of crying; she knew that voice, she was sure of it. Rushing around to where Charlie sat crying, the femme quickly knelt down – not even thinking as she scooped up the small human and held her close to her chest. “Charlie? What happened? What is wrong?”

Charlie barely registered the transfer from ground to a warm, metallic surface, simply that she knew she was close to her friend and allowed herself to continue crying.

Scatterblade had followed behind Illusory. Unsure of what to do, he spoke. “Hey,” he soothed, “Charlie?” He glanced to the femme, concern plastered on his faceplates.

Illusory was at a loss. What was she supposed to do? “Did somebody hurt you?” She tried to keep any harshness from her voice as she asked, though she promised that if anyone had caused Charlie harm she would see that they never had the chance to repeat the offense again.

Charlie tried to catch her breath, but her words came out in choppy gasps. “N-no! It's just...I'm not s-sad...I'm just a little o-overwhelmed right n-now,” she half laughed through her crying.

“I...don't understand,” Illusory looked to Scatterblade to see if he knew what it all meant. How oculd she sound so distressed if she wasn't sad?

Scatterblade stroked the woman's back gently with a knowing, sympathetic look. “You gonna be okay?”

The red head nodded, struggling to make her breathing more regular.

The mech's face brightened, his optics fixing on something that was different. “Wow! Did Wheeljack put some kind of holoform into your arm? It looks great!”

Charlie grinned through her tears. “Yeah, Tibs turned it on for me.”

“Tibs?” Illusory questioned as she examined the new appearance of the prosthetic. It was amazingly similar to a natural human limb; not that she should have been surprised considering their kind mimicked whole human bodies in their own holoforms.

“Um, Tiegan. Dr. Tiegan. He's one of the doctors helping Ratchet with my arm.”

“Oh, I see.” The femme searched her data banks for the appropriate staff member; she had been sure to log each and every medical person that had been around Charlie as far as she had seen – for safety precautions, she assured herself – and found an image of the man. He was in his early to mid twenties, with short brown hair and brown eyes. He wore glasses and what humans called a 'five o'clock shadow' almost always. His records were packed with research and findings; the man was a little too interested in everything for his own good, Illusory was sure of it.

Scatterblade nodded, feeling automatically protective of the human femme. “So, he made you run away crying?”

“Sure, if it makes you feel better to blame people,” Charlie laughed, finally able to keep her sobs from her voice. “It just...happened really fast. I was used to the fact that my arm was gone, but it looks like my arm again.” She looked over the appendage again. “Well, except there were two freckles on the back of my hand,” she said with a small put. “Okay, I think I'm better now,” she said with an embarrassed grin.

“Are you sure?” Illusory seemed reluctant to let the human go.

“I will be,” she said, a small shudder running through her as the intense emotions faded. “You don't have to put me down just yet,” she offered. “Crying takes way too much energy.”

With a smile, the femme made sure that she had a good hold on the human before standing straight again. “Well, then...” she looked around, seeming at a loss for what to do. “Where would you like to go now?”

“I don't know,” Charlie shrugged. “As long as it's not back to the med bay, I don't care.”

“Wasn't there a pond that we got distracted from, like, a month ago?” Scatterblade offered with a smile.

“Right,” Illusory agreed, making a small turn to find the correct direction. “I believe it was over this way. Does that suit you, Charlie?”

“That'd be great!” She smiled, setting in for the ride. “Maybe I can go swimming with this thing?” She wondered aloud as she looked over the prosthetic closely. She had been allowed to shower with it, but did that mean it would be okay for full submersion?

“If it was constructed properly – which I am quite sure it would be – then you should have no worries over water getting where it should not.” Illusory started walking as she spoke. “I do not have a lot of information on many of the Autobots, but Wheeljack is notorious among all circles; he is a very skilled inventor...” she stopped herself before she mentioned the events of explosions that he was also well known for.

“Cool,” Charlie cheered, happy to accept her friends assurances.

Scatterblade laughed. “It's good to see you so happy.”

“Thanks! It's good to see you two happy too,” she grinned.

Illusory smiled, though she wasn't entirely sure what the human meant. It was true that she was rather happy at the moment and she could assume that Scatterblade was as well. “It is nice,” she agreed finally.

It didn't take them too long to reach the pond. It was clear and cool looking surrounded by the desert. It was an oasis with thick life growing around it.

Charlie sighed in contentment at the sight. There was something intensely peaceful about the little spot of water and life.

Scatterblade had a clear look of surprise and amazement at the appearance of something so drastically different from everything around it. “This planet is just full of...surprises.”

“Indeed it is,” Illusory agreed as she pushed through the vegetation, doing her best to damage as little as possible. When they reached the water she lowered Charlie to the ground before setting herself. “This place is an unusual occurrence for this landscape,” she noted pleasantly.

Charlie slipped her shoes off and put her feet into the water. She gasped in surprise. “That's cold!”

The femme leaned back on her arms, more than happy to watch the human enjoy the water and allow the Earth's sun warm her plating. Scatterblade settled himself close to the water, allowing one leg to rest in the cool waters while the rest of him absorbed the warmth around him. Certainly a wonderful place.

 


	23. Event Twenty Three

Event Twenty-Three

~

_Happiness is an illusion easily shattered upon the shore of existance._

~

 

Wheeljack's lab was a strange sense of order; things were matched in ways that made no sense to anyone but the engineer and there was no real pattern to how everything was organized, but it was clear that there was some semblance of order within the chaos. The engineer deposited the pretender inside what could have been deemed a large cage that opened from the top. He latched it with a rather sympathetic look to the small creature within. “Sorry, but orders 'er orders, ya know? Can't let ya get inta trouble.”

The pretender scowled up at the larger mech, but said nothing.

Deflating a little under the pretender's scowl, Wheeljack knew there wasn't much he could do for it. “Ah'd like ta start with uh full scan o' yer processor.”

The scowl on the pretender's face deepened, his gaze narrowing.

“Well...Ah don't know what ya expect me ta do. Ah'm almost one hundred percent sure yer only still functioning cause Ah wanted ta do some research...”

With a sigh, the pretender shook off his dark expression. “Thank you. I'm just irritated. I could leave here; I can disappear from both sides of this insane conflict without any notice.”

“Can ya, now?” Wheeljack seemed doubtful as he turned to gather his equipment. “If ya could, why don't ya?”

“Not all of my programming has been finished. That's why I need to get 'Balde back...” he growled as if he didn't much care for the idea.

“What's left ta do?” The inventor placed his equipment to the side of the little cage, but made no further move to either retrieve the pretender or to employ his tools.

“To completely sever the connection.”

“How's that supposed ta be done? An...how are ya supposed ta function completely unconnected? Yer design itself would indicate ya were never meant ta function completely independently...” Wheeljack leaned in close to the cage – not seeing the cage at all, but the pretender within.

“Why does everyone think that?” The pretender grumbled with exasperation. “It was part of the whole thing! The 'Cons created me. I was never a part of Scatterblade,” he spat. “He used me in a sort of avatar way but when you messed around with my components you activated the second phase!” His voice slowly pitched to that of a roar.

Wheeljack was taken aback by the pretender's words. “Second phase? Why are there phases? What's the next phase?”

“The third is supposed to be the complete separation of me from him.”

The mech leaned against one of his project tables, a mix of thought and curiosity crossing his faceplates. “Ah don't understand th' purpose o' any o' this. Why make ya ta go inside o' another mech if yer just gonna separate?”

“You're forgetting the revenge side of things,” the pretender smirked evilly. “He also escaped before the second part of it.”

“What were they gonna do ta him?”

“What the two of you activated by mistake. Much of the torture they planned has already been done. Can you imagine what it would feel like to be ripped open and lose your components to fulfill spite?”

The inventor shuddered with the thought. “That poor mech...” he thought about Scatterblade, the mech was kind and normally upbeat. He hated thinking of him being tortured in such a horrible way. “An ya wanna take him back ta that? Why?”

“What makes you think I care about him?” The pretender laughed, amusement thick in his tone.

“If ya don't care, why bother with him?”

“Because I'm still connected to him, you idiot!” He growled with renewed anger. “I can hear his thoughts! I know his memories! I don't want it anymore!”

This brought Wheeljack back to full attention. “Ya can what?”

“You don't listen very well,” he barked, slamming his fist against the ground. “That coward's memories were all I could see in the beginning! I can't stand it! Can't stand _him_!” He grabbed his head in frustration.

“Then...” Wheeljack wasn't sure what he was supposed to think, let alone what he should do about it. “What would it take ta separate ya?”

“I don't know,” he growled with defeat. “I don't know.”

“Well...maybe we can figure it out. Ah mean, if ya don't wanna be connected, Ah don't see why we can't try.”

The pretender looked up at the inventor with surprise and suspicion. “You...what?”

“Ah don't want ya ta suffer...if Ah can help it. But Ah can't let ya take that young'en back ta those 'Cons ta be tortured.” He grabbed his tools, switching on the machines. “Ya don't need ta be tortured either.”

“You'd...do that?”

“Ah'd try,” the engeneer assured him.

The pretender continued to stare at the mech with deep suspicion. “Give it your best shot,” he murmured.

With a tip of his head, Wheeljack reached into the cage and retrieved the pretender. “Ah know this won't be th' most comfortable thing ever, but it shouldn't hurt at least.” He attached his equipment and started taking down information.

“I've been shoved into that mech so many times discomfort has been the least of my worries,” the pretender mumbled.

Wheeljack laughed uncomfortably at the idea. “Well, this is going ta take uh while, so ya might as well get comfortable.”

“Ha,” he barked humorlessly, settling in nonetheless.

Much time passed with the mech growing more engrossed in the task at hand, the information completely consuming him. Wheeljack stopped talking at some point – though he muttered to himself constantly – and he rushed from one place to another while going through the data and attempting to come up with a solution.

The pretender was reluctant to help the engineer at first, but soon found himself giving comments and suggestions where he could. Then, suddenly he stopped talking too, a sour look on his face.

It took Wheeljack a moment before he registered the sudden silence, but once he did he turned his full attention on the pretender. “What's th' matter?”

“I think I figured out how to start the process, but I don't like it,” he grumbled.

“How's that?” The inventor leaned on the table the pretender was on, curiosity clear in his optics.

“I have to get back inside Scatterblade,” he growled unhappily.

“Oh,” the mech looked a little surprised, then sad. “Ah don't think that can be arranged. Ah mean, Ah really don't think Ratch'll go fer it.” He vented, bowing his head as he thought about the possibility. “Isn't there uh way we can do it without that?”

Sighing frustratedly, the pretender shook his head. “You're not doing this for me. Tel him it's for the mech. He'll be rid of me just like he wanted.”

“What will ya do? What will happen?” Wheeljack lifted his head to look at the pretender once again. In truth, he didn't really want to do anything to hurt the thing; it may not have a spark as far as he could tell, but it was still a very 'alive' creature. At least to him. However; he couldn't do anything that might risk Scatterblade either. Everyone would side on the wind of caution when putting a spark in danger. “Ah gotta have uh clear cut plan o' action if Ah'm gonna try an pitch it ta Ratch, or Boss 'Bot.”

The pretender paused to think it through. “There's a simple algorithm that needs to be input to sever the link. It's really all we need to do, I just wasn't sure how to do it 'til now.”

“What gave ya th' clue?”

“Something Scatterblade's audios caught while he was in stasis after the...” he paused for the inventor's benefit, “...stays.”

“Tell meh more?”

Not wanting his ideas shot down immediately, he wavered before delivering the information. “They were talking about the different phases and the mech was trying to figure out how he could make each...hurt...the most.”

Wheeljack looked sorely disappointed by the news. “Ah can't go ta Ratch with somethin' that'll hurt th' young'in,” he explained. “Not until there's not other option left.”

The pretender sighed dejectedly. “If you think of something, I'd be happy to hear it, but that's all I got.”

Rolling his head to loosen some of the stiff cords in his neck and back, Wheeljack vented. “Ah don't. Not yet.” He looked over the lab as if just now realizing the disheveled state and the amount of time they had been there. He was no closer now to a solution than he had been before he had known there was a problem. “Ah'll...talk ta Ratch, but Ah just can't think that he'd go fer it.”

The pretender shrugged. “I might as well stay in this cage for the millenia then.”

Wheeljack vented again, weary sorrow on his face. “Ah don't like it any better than ya, Ah promise that.” He looked over the data pad he held that he had been compiling his information on. It was complicated at best, hopeless at worst. “Ah will talk ta Ratch...an' Scatterblade should probably be in on it since he's th' one that'll have ta suffer...” he glanced at the pretender with an apologetic look. “Is this gonna hurt ya too?”

“A little,” he shrugged again. “Painkillers help though.”

“So, maybe we can put the young'in in stasis ta stop his pain, an' give ya some kinda sensory numbing agent ta help ya through it. Would that work?”

“I'm pretty sure we can both take it,” the pretender boasted with confidence. “I'm used to it, and he's been through slag.”

Wheeljack looked shocked and alarmed for a moment, then it seemed to sink into him. Scatterblade had been through a lot, they all knew it; even if they couldn't see it or didn't know the exact details of it, the evidence was there if anyone dared to look deep enough. “Right,” he shook his head. “Ah'll go talk ta them...ya just...rest.” He placed the pretender back in the small cage, making sure to latch it before he left.

The pretender leaned against the bars grateful for the rest. He was exhausted and running on empty; the issue of energy between him and his host had never been solved. If things kept up like this he would offline long before his mission was complete.

***

Wheeljack found Ratchet in his office going over data pads. The mech looked frustrated and entirely engrossed; never a good time to approach him for a chancy procedure he was likely to turn down even in a good mood.

Dragging in as much air as he could, the mech took a moment to steady himself before knocking. “Hey, Ratch...Ah need ta talk ta ya, if ya got uh breem?”

The CMO glanced up from his work and waved the mech in, but didn't spare him much of his attention. “What is it this time, Wheeljack?”

“Ah've been workin' on th' pretender.”

“Have you deactivated it yet?”

“Uh, no...no. Ah've been tryin' ta find uh way ta separate it from Scatterblade.”

Now Wheeljack had the medic's full attention. “Separate them? Why? The little...pretender...would be better off deactivated. It's nothing but trouble.”

“Ratch, yer not even givin' it uh chance! Ah've been talkin' to it...”

“You've been letting your spark think for you again.”

“Is that really uh bad thing?”

“In your case?” Ratchet shook his head slightly, knowing exactly how the inventor thought about many things, including how he probably felt right now about that Pit spawn pretender. “Usually. What have you found out?”

Wheeljack looked offended for a moment before calming himself down. Ratchet was harsh, but he never lied. Not when it was important. “Th' pretender says that th' third stage o' th' program was never activated. We accidently triggered phase two – which Ah might add spared th' mech uh lot o' sufferin' – but ta separate them we have ta activate th' final phase.”

“Uh huh...and that would be?”

“They have ta join again.”

“No.”

“Ratchet! Wait! Give it some thought!”

The CMO vented harshly, offering his optics for a moment before bringing them back on. “No, Wheeljack. I will not allow it.”

“Don't ya think Scatterblade should get uh word in this?”

“No,” Ratchet fixed the inventor with a stern glare. “The mech has suffered enough, there's no need to make him push himself further.”

“Ah don't want ta offline that pretender, Ratch! It has function, it has personality!”

“It's a programmed piece of equipment!”

Wheeljack floundered at the statement. He couldn't argue it at all, other than the personality the pretender had shown him, but that would never hold in Ratchet's optics without evidence of sentience, of spark. “Ah won't offline it.” He stood to return to his ab to seek some other answer. “Ah'll keep lookin' until Ah find uh solution that fits yer standards.”

“Wheeljack, stop. Don't act like this, I'm not trying to be cruel.”

“Ya got uh funny way o' showin' it.”

Ratchet vented, rubbing a hand over his face. “I will not let Scatterblade be harmed, Wheeljack. That's the end of it.”

“That's what Ah thought ya'd say,” it wasn't an accusation. Wheeljack didn't want the mech to come to any harm either.

“However; if this is what you think is the best option, you can talk to Scatterblade about it. If he has any hesitation of it whatsoever, I will put it to an end right then and there. Got it?”

Wheeljack's entire demeanor brightened. “Got it!” The inventor rushed from the med bay to seek out the next problem in this puzzle. ::Scatterblade, where might Ah find ya?::

Scatterblade was settled in for a short recharge before he had been disturbed by the comm. He groaned, but answered. ::Out. Illusory and I took Charlie to a body of water just a few hundred meters out from the compound.::

::Sorry ta bug ya, but Ah need ta talk ta ya about maybe separatin' th' pretender from ya.::

The mech shot up from laying down, all pretense of relaxation vanished from his frame. “What?” He asked aloud before he caught himself. ::C-come again?:: He was shocked and, more than that, confused.

::It isn't gonna be easy,” Wheeljack explained uneasily. ::Ah'd really rather talk ta ya in person.::

Illusory alerted to the mech's sudden action. She instantly looked for Charlie while her sensors flared to life. “What's the matter?”

The dark mech vented several times to cool his rapidly heating systems.

Charlie noted the strange behavior and quickly stood, shoes in hand. “'Blade?”

He looked to the two and forced himself to gather his wits. “Yeah, I'm alright. We need to be...getting back to the...to the compound,” he explained distractedly, his processor spinning wildly. He stood, only glancing to be sure the others would follow before heading back. ::I'll be there soon,:: he assured the inventor.

Illusory didn't have to be told twice, the femme grabbed Charlie and held her close to her chest as she moved from the oasis toward the base, her spark pulsing double time at Scatterblade's demenor. She feared the worst but tried to remain clam for Charlie's sake.

Charlie clung tight to the femme as the two bots moved at a quick pace. The silence was getting to her though and before long she couldn't take it any longer. “One of you want to explain what's going on?”

“I need you two to...” he lost what he thought he wanted to say mid sentence. He didn't really want them to know what was currently going on; it would only worry them more and he was sure that they had both had plenty of that. “I just need to do something...alone.”

Illusory bristled at the mech's words. “Alone?” Her processor immediately jumped to the worst possible thing she could think of. “What do you mean by that?”

Scatterblade slowed his pace and paused to look at her, realizing that the femme was prone to the most negative of thoughts and had most likely created some horrible scenario in her own processor. “It's nothing you need to worry about,” he said soothingly, trying to reassure her. “Wheeljack needs to see me, that's all.”

The femme felt relief for a moment, quickly replaced by anxiety, but she followed quietly behind Scatterblade at an easier pace than she had previously.

When they reached the buildings, Scatterblade turned to his two companions again, wanting to reassure them that all was as well as it should be, he just needed a few breems. “Why don't you take Charlie to the rec room? I'll be back shortly,” he promised.

Nodding, Illusory turned in the specified direction, but paused as she glanced back to the mech ushering them away. “I will be here for you,” she said in earnest. “No matter what.”

Scatterblade practically beamed at her words. “Thank you.”

With that, the pair parted ways – Scatterblade to see the engineer, Illusory to bide time with Charlie in the recreation room – an unease set between them all.

“He'll be okay,” Charlie assured her friend. It seemed strange that such a big creature that had so much armor could worry so very much.

The femme smiled at the woman, though wearily. “Physically, I have no doubts of that,” she agreed. Worry weighed heavily on her spark and its shadow clung to her face, but she did her best to hide it and enjoy her time with Charlie.

***

Wheeljack was waiting for Scatterblade ot return to base and had rushed to him the moment he spotted the mech parting ways with his companions. “Come on, lets go somewhere we won't be disturbed. Ah think th' conference room is free.”

Scatterblade pushed back his apprehension and followed the eager mech.

When they reached the room, Wheeljack indicated that Scatterblade should go in and find a seat as he closed the door behind them, then latched it from the inside to ensure they would not be inappropriately disturbed. He settled in a seat close to the other mech, but not too close, and studied him for a moment before trying to speak. “Ah've been speakin' with th' pretender,” he started sounding guilty. “Ah was studyin' it an' lookin' inta it an' tryin' ta find some answers ta yer problem...”

Scatterblade shuttered his optics on and off involuntarily several times before he pushed forward. “And it talked back?” He was unsure if he was about to hear a confession of insanity or something far worse.

“Yeah...see, th' thing is...it has function; personality. No spark, but...” he wanted to say 'alive', but that wasn't the truth. It was a piece of equipment – as Ratchet had so nicely reminded him – and couldn't be considered 'alive'. “It has personality,” he repeated. “It wants ta be separate as much as ya do.”

The mech scoffed at the engineer's words. 'It probably ripped it off of me, just like everything else,' he thought irritably. “I don't understand how that's possible. It's just supposed to be a tool...right?” Looking back on what a pretender was supposed to be in the first place and comparing it to what he had experienced, he wasn't so sure he knew what he knew about it anymore.

“Yeah...that's th' same thing all o' us thought,” the inventor nodded. “But, after talkin' ta it fer uh bit, Ah'm startin' ta think otherwise. See...what it said makes sense – what th' 'Cons did an' all...” his voice lost volume as he spoke the last bit. “It said...” he mumbled, then cleared his vents and spoke louder. “It said that it was created as uh sorta engine o' revenge. Uh thing made ta make ya suffer as it went through different stages. Now, Ah really don't know what was supposed ta happen ta th' thing when all that was done, but it seems ta believe that after bein' separated it would be able ta sneak off an' be separate from all o' this slag...” his voice faltered once more. “It said it remembered somethin' th' 'Cons said when ya were in stasis back there.”

“Wait...hold up. How long has that _thing_ been separate from me? How can it recall stuff from before it 'woke up', or whatever?”

“Ah...Ah dunno that; Ah didn't think ta ask.” The mech rubbed the back of his head shyly. “Ah got too focused on th' part where we were gonna separate ya two.”

Scatterblade felt a shudder run through his frame. “Well, that's one thing we can agree on. I don't want anything more to do with it.”

“Okay, well, then we come ta th' next part o' th' problem...th' pretender said that it knew how ta initiate the separation, but it'd have ta...” Wheeljack made a grinding noise as he tried to think of the right way to say what he knew needed to be said. “Ya'd have ta let it...” he stammered again. “It'd have ta get back inside ya.”

The mech felt his components shiver violently at the mere thought. “You've got to be kidding...” he groaned, putting both hands to his face and straining his neck backwards.

“Ah've been lookin' fer another way, trust meh Ah have...but aside from deactivatin' th' pretender, options are few.” He bowed his head slightly thinking that Scatterblade would instantly jump on the alternative. “Ah'd...really rather not deactivate it.”

Scatterblade had a hard time keeping his voice even as he spoke again. “What about what happened to Charlie? What he almost did to her?”

“Ah know, Ah know. Ah don't forgive that at all, don't think Ah do...but that technology could be useful, an' it has function...” he started to repeat. “It's in muh labs under lock n' key, it ain't gonna get th' chance ta do anythin' like that again. Maybe Ah could reprogram it, or maybe it was actin' outta self preservation, Ah dunno! It wanted ta get ya back ta th' 'Cons so it could be separated from ya.”

“That's reason enough to get rid of it!” The front-liner fumed. He vented a few times to cool his overheated systems. “But...it'd be best if we could do it the right way. We'd all be better off.” He was silent for a while debating within himself about whether he really wanted to or not.

“In th' end, it's yer choice. Ah can't make ya choose...an' ta be fair, Ratch doesn't want ta do it either.”

Scatterblade felt heavy all of the sudden, the weight of the consequence of this decision he hadn't even made yet. He vented once more. “Can I get...can I get back to you on it?”

“Yeah, take yer time. Ah don't want ya ta feel pushed.”

The mech nodded and stood to leave. “Thanks. I'll...be around if you need me,” he said distractedly.

Wheeljack waved, letting the mech go. He vented softly to himself. “It's not uh 'no',” he mumbled to himself.

***

Charlie looked back up at Illusory, noting the worried look returned once again. “He's fine,” she told her for the fourth time.

“Ah know...” the femme mumbled. “He said so...but, I cannot help but worry,” she admitted as she fumbled with her empty cube some more. “I do not like to see him like that, it scares me.”

“Yeah, same here, but freaking out and worrying doesn't help.” Sighing and turning back to the room as a whole, Charlie spotted something that would surely help her friend. “Speak of the devil!”

“Who?” Illusory scanned the room, then spotted the mech near the entrance. “Scatterblade!” She jumped from her seat prepared to rush over to him, but stopped herself.

Charlie stifled her giggling at the femme's reaction, even more so as the mech jumped when he heard his name called. His entire frame seemed to brighten as he spotted the femme. “Illusory,” he greeted as he approached, then pulled the femme into a hug without even thinking about it.

She returned the gesture happily. “Are you alright? I mean, really alright? What is going on? What did Wheeljack want?”

“Let's talk elsewhere,” the mech said, his smile fading some. He scooped Charlie from the table and headed to Illusory's temporary hanger.

The femme followed closely, watching the way the mech moved, the stiffness in his body. He was worried, upset, about something.

When they reached the hanger Scatterblade set Charlie on the ground, then settled down himself, back against one of the interior walls. It was strange being back here, he noted to himself absently, but the fact that he was here with Illusory and Charlie and neither were currently being treated as prisoners made it all very different.

“Oh, come on!” Charlie broke the lingering silence in exasperation. “Spill it already!”

Scatterblade raised an eye ridge at her, unimpressed by her demands. His expression shifted back to one of darkness as he spoke. “Wheeljack says he's been...talking to the pretender.”

“What?!” Illusory practically roared. She had been moving to sit with them on the floor, but her anger shot her right back to her feet.

Charlie blurted a similar phrase of incredulity at the confession, then continued with more. “What the Hell for?”

“He wants to try and separate it from me,” Scatterblade explained, though with little conviction. He did keep his voice steady, trying to calm the two enough for him to elaborate.

Illusory was seething, the anger nearly visible around her in waves of heat. “An' just how do they plan ta do that?!”

Scatterblade knew he was in for a lot of yelling, he had assumed that things wouldn't go well when he told his companions what had been discussed, so he settled in and reviewed the entire conversation with Wheeljack.

“Yer not seriously considerin' doin' it're ya?” Illusory paced nervously back and forth along the far wall of the hanger, consciously aware of Charlie and not wanting to harm her in her distress.

Scatterblade grinned at the femme's obvious concern then stood and put an arm around her. “It's alright. I'm just tired...of all this. I want the pretender scrap to all go away.”

“I know,” she vented unsteadily. “Are you not scared? Because I am,” she leaned on him slightly, just enough to absorb some of his seemingly endless strength. “I am scared for you.”

The mech chuckled wearily. “Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm more afraid of that thing being on base than having to go through one more thing to make it all be right again.”

Illusory did her best to steady herself. It helped to know he was scared too. “I will support whatever decision you make,” she promised, then focused on Charlie. “However, so help me, if that...thing...makes another attempt at Charlie, I will destroy it in the most violent way I can imagine.”

Scatterblade nodded his complete agreement. “I won't even think to stop you.”

Charlie watched the pair with wrapped attention, a wide smile creeping across her face. They were so sweet together like that. “Awww!” She simply couldn't stop herself.

“Oh, stop,” Illusory laughed a little, standing up straight and pulling away from the mech beside her.

Charlie's grin only grew, doing a good imitation of the Cheshire Cat.

Scatterblade watched the femme move away from him, a small smile on his face still. Then he vented and returned to the topic at hand. “I told Wheeljack I'd think about it. I want to know it's going to work before I make any decision. I won't go into this blind this time.”

Illusory looked at the mech suspiciously. “How do you intend to do that?”

“Still working on that...” he shrugged helplessly.

The femme took a few steps, starting to pace again before stopping herself. “You could...talk to it...maybe. That might help.”

Scatterblade tensed at the though. “It's an option...” he agreed softly.

The femme vented, unsure of what else to do. She knew very little about pretenders in the first place and it seemed the Decepticons had done everything in their power to make all that knowledge useless.

“I would ask if you wanted to come with me,” he began uncertainly, “but I have a feeling you wouldn't want that. Not that I could blame you. I don't think I want to, but if I'm going to work this out, I have to.”

Illusory fidgeted a little before offering a slight nod. “I will go with you,” she stated firmly. “You should not have to face it alone.”

Charlie stood, swinging her arms awkwardly as she felt her part in this discussion was long over. “I think I'll go find the good Dr. Not the one who can step on me...the other one,” she clarified with a chuckle.

“The one that made you cry?” Illusory asked with some skepticism.

“It wasn't because I was sad,” she reminded her friend. “It just caught me off guard. Besides, I'd rather be out of the blast zone.”

Illusory nodded, a slight look of nervousness washing over her features before fading away again. “Yes...yes, that would be best.”

“Ill catch up with you guys later,” the red head said heading out of the hanger to seek her company.

“You want a ride?” Scatterblade offered.

Charlie considered it for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, thanks.”

Scatterblade easily folded into his alt mode and allowed Charlie to climb in before heading for the medical wing where he was sure she would find the doctor. He turned resolutely for Wheeljack's lab, Illusory right behind him.

As they approached the entrance to the lab, the two could hear talking from inside. It wasn't clear what was being said other than one voice was louder than the other; probably due to size.

Inside the lab, Wheeljack was going through the information he had while working on at least three unfinished projects; though no one would be able to tell exactly what he was doing with what if they didn't know him and how he worked. He was chatting idly with the pretender, despite its almost perpetual bad mood and short answers, the mech continued to talk as though they had been friends for vorns.

Illusory hesitated outside the door. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

The mech pulled himself straighter and nodded. “Yes. I'll be okay,” he assured her; though he wasn't entirely sure if the words were more for her than they were for himself. Knocking on the door, Scatterblade called out for the mech within. “Wheeljack, you busy?”

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of scrambling and things being moved around. “Nah! Not at all! Come on in!”

Illusory glanced at Scatterblade, unsure. “That does not sound like not being busy to me...”

The mech only shrugged with a grin and pushed through the doors.

“Hey! Scatterblade, Illusory! What brings ya ta muh lab?” The engineer greeted joyfully. His lab was still scattered with this and that's but it looked as though he had made an attempt to make it look somewhat presentable.

Illusory looked around with a mix of interest and dread at the pace. It was definitely a breeding ground for trouble – most likely in the bodily harm department – and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be there.

“I was hoping to be able to...talk to it...about separating.” He tried to sound like he wasn't scared, that he was confident in his decision to be here, though some of his wariness showed through.

Illusory came to stand beside the mech, spotting the pretender locked within a cage not too far away. She glared at it as though if she willed it to go away hard enough, it might.

“Right! No problem. Ya want meh ta leave ya alone fer uh bit?” The inventor was already halfway to the back of the lab where a small office sat buried in more unfinished – or maybe finished and not destroyed – projects.

“If you want,” Scatterblade said indifferently, accepting that the mech was already set to his actions.

Wheeljack vanished in his office with a call of; “Ah'm here if ya need meh!”

Scatterblade's gaze quickly fell to the pretender. He vented silently, not really knowing what he wanted to say.

“Hi, 'Blade,” the pretender drawled, taking the mech by surprise in initiating the conversation. “Brought your girlfriend to throw parts at me?” He gave the femme a rather sick looking grin that sent shivers through her frame.

Scatterblade clinched his fists, refusing to rise to such a bait.

The femme, however, didn't think much of the pretender's comment and quite nearly made it a truth as her hand twitched to seek out something to be thrown at the cage. “I wold rather tear you apart,” she growled dangerously.

“Oooh,” he laughed. “I believe I hit a nerve.”

“Shut up,” Scatterblade growled. “If you want my cooperation, you'd better keep your comments to yourself.”

Illusory tucked herself slightly behind Scatterblade, partially because her won anger flared and she was sorely tempted to grab the cage and shake it until the pretender within was in a thousand pieces, but also because his own anger radiated off him in ways that made her feel uncomfortable being between him and the pretender.

The pretender's smile fell at the mech's demand. “Alright then. You decided?”

“Not yet.” His glare didn't ease at all, but he kept his tone even.

“So, I hear you wanna make sure it really works, huh? Don't really trust me, do you?”

“How did you...”

“I know a lot about you, 'Blade,” the pretender said with a sly smile. “Trust me, I like hearing you in my head about as much as like me knowing your thoughts.”

“You can hear my thoughts?” Discomfort tied knots inside the mech's wiring at the thought of all the things this little piece of slag could have learned from him.

“Not directly,” it clarified quickly enough, “but I get the gist of most of it. The worst part is when your memory files come my way. They are so...”

Scatterblade moved so quickly, he almost didn't realize he had moved at all as he grabbed the cage with a feral roar. “Stop it!”

Illusory yelped at the sound before she could stop herself, backing further away from the mech and the focus of his anger.

The pretender looked very pleased with himself for evoking such a reaction.

Scatterblade didn't like the pretender's enjoyment one bit. “Stop that too,” he forced his voice to be as calm as he could through his rage.

“Have I given you enough incentive now?”

The mech vented in attempt to calm himself, choosing to ignore the question. “Will it work?”

“Yes,” it said with no tricks or sarcasm to its voice. 'My voice,' Scatterblade noted with a shutter. “It will work,” it concluded with firm belief. “You just need to convince the crazy doc bot you want it.”

Scatterblade vented again, feeling exhausted. He set the cage down and the pretender slumped to the floor within. Despite himself, Scatterblade looked at it with concern. “What's wrong?”

“I'm weak. I'm not getting energy the way I'm used to,” he sneered at the mech studying him. “My energon levels are nearly non-existent.”

Scatterblade was silent for a moment. “I'll let Wheeljack know. He'll find a way to help you with that.” His tone was short and clipped.

“Why should it matter?” Illusory asked from where she had made herself feel safe a few tables away.

“You enjoy my suffering, don't you femme?” The pretender's sarcasm returned full force despite his waning strength.

“You endangered Charlie. Your suffering is of little concern as far as I see it,” the femme growled, though inside she felt guilty. She hated to see anyone suffer, no matter how poorly she viewed them.

“You Autobots and your pets,” the thing rolled its eyes before closing them.

“I am not an Autobot and Charlie is no pet!” She snapped before turning away from the thing. “Sorry, Scatterblade. I cannot stand that thing any longer.” She stormed from the lab.

Scatterblade vented again, not wanting to deal with its attitude any longer either. He spared the pretender one last glare before going to Wheeljack's office. He offered a quick apology for interrupting and for the noise before delivering the pretender's need for energy, then left the lab to find Illusory.

Wheeljack immediately sought to tend to the pretender, bidding the mech good luck and a hope to see him again soon.

Illusory stood in the hall, not far from the lab with her arms wrapped around herself. She was trying to come to terms with herself once more. She was upset that she had let the pretender get to her; that was his game after all. She had fed him exactly what he was after.

Scatterblade vented with a small amount of relief once the door was closed, then spotted Illusory just down the hall. “Hey, are you gonna be alright?”

“Me?” She sounded confused and a little astonished. “I am not the one that has to worry about that thing...I am fine. What about you?”

“I'm okay, just a little nervous...and angry.”

“I can only imagine. What will you do?”

The mech shook his head with indecision. “I don't know. I don't want it in my life anymore.”

“It is easy to see why not,” she grumbled, glancing back at the door to the lab.

“Charming, isn't he?” He mumbled, displeasure clear in his voice. “It...” he corrected himself.

“Entirely,” the femme agreed sarcastically.

Scatterblade laughed, easing some of the tension in his frame. “Thanks for coming with me. I needed that,” he grinned.

“I was not much help, but you are welcome,” she nodded.

“Just being there was enough,” he said putting an arm around her.

Illusory smiled, feeling a little better. “Well, if that is enough, than I am happy.”

“So...do you think I should take the chance?” He asked, desperately needing a second opinion to consider; one he trusted.

“I...do not have any easy answer for you, I'm afraid. If it were me? I would do whatever it took to be rid of it as soon as possible...however, that may not be the right choice. You said Ratchet was against it. Maybe there is a reason for that.” The femme leaned against the front-liner, bowing her head so he could not see her face. “I do not want you to be hurt any more than you have been by all of this.”

Scatterblade accepted the slight weight she pressed into him easily enough. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to wait for some other answer to come along, completely in agreement that he would do whatever it took to get rid of the thing as soon as possible. “Would it be worth the risks?” He questioned, just voicing his own thoughts. “I can't...I don't want to live being paranoid of this thing. The last thing I want to do is house that thing again...but...would it be worth it to be rid of it forever?” He vented softly. “Sorry, just needed to talk it out. I don't mean to dump this on ya.”

“I am happy to listen,” the femme assured him. “If it helps you decide what you wish to do, then I will listen as long as you need.”

“Thanks,” he pulled her closer, wrapping her in a hug.

The femme returned the hug. It felt good to be hugged, definitely something she could grow accustomed to on a regular basis. It sure beat the void of not being touched.

“I really care about you, you know?” Scatterblade said softly against her helm.

Illusory tensed and melted at the same time with the words. “I...care about you too, Scatterblade. I believe we established this before.”

“Yeah, I guess so...but I thought since I had your attention I'd say it again.” He smiled and released her from the hug he had trapped her in.

Illusory made a soft twittering sound as she looked around them, searching for another focus. “I suppose we should probably get back to Charlie...” she suggested softly. It wasn't so much that she was uncomfortable here with Scatterblade so much as it was she wasn't entirely sure where it was all going.

The mech nodded, displeased with the sudden change of topic, but allowing it for the femme's comfort. “Yeah, o-okay.”

Illusory spent the walk going over what had just happened in her processor. Surely it wasn't what it seemed, was it? No. It couldn't have been. Still, she wondered and just wondering made her spark pulse a little faster. She did her best not to glance at Scatterblade, afraid that she might let him in on her thought, but she couldn't help but to look at him. He was confusing and fascinating to her all at the same time and that just made everything she was thinking all that much more complicated. 'You are over processing,' she told herself. 'Just let it be.'

Scatterblade started to feel really silly as the silence stretched on. Maybe Sideswipe's constant teasing had made him jump into something he didn't understand fully yet. He really liked the femme a lot, he just wished he knew how to show her just how much, some way that she would understand. He could tell her as many times as he wanted but he felt that words weren't going to help, she didn't seem to get what he was saying. At least, not the way he meant.

Charlie's advice for little steps slipped through his processor and he chuckled grimly. That was probably the best advice ever offered to him; yet it was so difficult for him to take things slowly. He was an all-in kind of mech, but Illusory was a very cautious femme. He had to keep that at the forefront of his processor at all times. Little steps.

 

 


	24. Event Twenty Four

Event Twenty-Four

~

_Familiarity is an illusion that can be scattered to the winds as easily as with a small breath._

~

When Charlie hadn't found Tibs in the medical wing, she had gone to the cafeteria to search for him, only to be let down there as well. She felt a little bad for having run off like she had before and wondered if he had gotten the wrong idea. Either way, there had been nothing she could do for it now so she returned to her room in the med bay to wait for her companions.

A knock at her door drew alerted her that someone wanted her attention, but the book she had been studying had reached a rather interesting point. “It's open,” she called distractedly.

The door opened and a soft voice spoke up. “Hi, Charlie.”

The woman looked up from her book at the familiar voice, pencil still held in her mouth like a dog with a stick. She quickly snatched it away with her hand and smiled up at the pair as they came in. “Hey guys. How'd it go?”

“It was alright,” the mech shrugged.

“It was an experience,” Illusory mumbled. She looked over their human friend, recognizing the object she was studying as a thing humans recorded things within, much the same way they used data pads, only with less exchange-ability. “What are you reading?”

“Just some uh, they're called 'scriptures',” she said putting the book and her journal to the side. “Was just getting some personal study done.”

“That's neat,” Scatterblade said with a little confusion. “But I thought you said you took a break from school?”

“I did. This is for me, not school,” she explained.

Illusory nodded. She was pretty sure she hadn't caught the full meaning of what Charlie meant, but she understood enough. “That is always useful.”

“It is. Lots of good advice,” she said folding it closed and setting it aside. “So, any more thought to what you want to do 'Blade?”

The mech flinched at the nickname, the pretender's voice echoing through his processor speaking the same name with so much malice behind it. He covered up the moment of discomfort with a smile for his human friend. She spoke with kindness and that was more than enough to replace such an uncomfortable memory. “Not entirely sure,” he shrugged, his smile fading. “It's risky. I have no idea if it will even work.”

Charlie nodded with understanding. “Keep thinking. You need to do this for you, not for it. Nobody will blame you if you decide not to.”

Illusory noted the way Scatterblade had grown tense with talk of the pretender, Charlie looking a little edgy herself, and decided it was time to speak of other things. “So, are you eager to go home?” She was sure that the doctors wouldn't keep her much longer. Charlie had healed well from her surgery and had not suffered much damage from her previous kidnapping, there was no reason for them to keep her.

Charlie nodded, knowing they were going to ask sooner or later. “Yeah, as amazing as this place is,” she laughed, her eyes alight with the excitement she had experienced since she had come to the base, “I would love to be home for Christmas.”

“Then we should get you ready. Get the doc's final approval and get you home,” Scatterblade said resolutely, his normal optimistic self springing back in full force. “Should be a lot less terrifying a question than the one I had in mind.”

“The one you had in mind?” The femme glanced at the mech.

Charlie raised a brow at her friend. “The 'it' that must not be named?”

It took Scatterblade a while to understand her meaning, but once he did he chuckled. “For lack of a better term? Yes. The pretender issue,” he translated for Illusory.

“Right...that...” the femme shook her head slightly and looked at the floor. Just thinking about that thing made her uncomfortable.

“Want to tackle it today?” He asked Charlie.

“I think maybe I should get more sleep first,” the woman sighed. “I actually want to follow Ratchet's orders.

“Right,” the femme agreed. “you should sleep. We can talk to Ratchet tomorrow.” She smiled at Charlie before turning to leave.

“Thanks guys,” Charlie yawned.

Scatterblade opened the door, holding it for Illusory to pass through before he followed.

The femme turned to the mech after the door closed behind them. “you intend to talk to Ratchet before we leave, right?”

The mech drew a deep breath. “That would delay Charlie's going home, if by some miracle Ratchet does say 'yes' to it all.”

“Rather delay her trip home than have you continue to suffer.” She looked back at the door. “I am sure Charlie would agree.”

The mech's smile softened. “Yes, you and Charlie have a habit of doing that. Looking out for me.”

A smile she couldn't stop if she had wanted to spread across her face. “Someone has to...” she teased.

“Cause we both know I can't take care of myself,” the mech laughed.

“Oh, I am sure you can,” the femme almost purred, “but it never hurts to have someone else watching your back.”

“No, it doesn't,” he agreed. “Yes, I will talk to Ratchet before we leave. We'd best let the higher ups know what we plan on doing so no one freaks out.”

“Right, higher ups. I will never get used to this chain of command thing.”

The mech shrugged. “It's not hard. It's more like...degrading if anything. No, that's too harsh a word. I guess you just learn your place. Though I must admit, this place allows for more thought on the subject than some.” He chuckled at the lax way things were run on Earth. “It's nice to not have to fight orn after orn.”

“That is the thing of war, isn't it?” Illusory fought to keep her smile from fading, but somehow thinking about all of the fighting just dragged it away.

“You know the cool thing about our situation though?” He paused to be sure he had the femme's attention. “We can forget about it. When we're with Charlie, it doesn't have to be at the front of our processor. Can you imagine that?”

Her smile quickly returned at the thought. “That is very amazing,” she agreed.

Scatterblade smiled, his spark fluttering. “It'll be neat to get to know Charlie's family. She said she had a big one, right?” He tried to get himself composed again.

“As I recall, yes. Humans, as a standard, seem to cling to their familial units for generations.”

“Wow.” Scatterblade tried to imagine what a family might have been back on Cybertron, but he just couldn't recall. A twinge of jealousy touched his spark. What would their life be like living with Charlie and her family? Perfect came to mind. However, the concern that he might become bored occurred to him. He had been fighting for so long; the war had dictated more of his life than he could truthfully remember. Even trapped here at the base he felt a little melancholy at times, lacking the action he was used to. Though the last few experiences had kept him on his toes...what if he never had to fight again? Part of him was perfectly fine with that, craved it even, while yet another part was worried.

He vented, dragging in cool air to ease his racing thoughts. “I think I'm going to see if Ratchet's busy,” he said rather distractedly. Anything to stop this particular train of thought.

“All right,” the femme studied the floor intently. “Do you want me to accompany you?”

“I'd like that.” His grin returned once again, more than just a little pleased that she had offered.

Illusory smiled back, happy to stay by the mech even if it was to face the Autobot CMO for something he surely wasn't going to like. “I believe his office would be the best place to begin.”

“There you go, being a smart aft again.”

The two laughed together, enjoying the lightness of the moment. Illusory grabbed Scatterblade's hand and headed towards the medic's office. Scatterblade was surprised, excitement ran through him at her touch. A tiny voice in the back of his processor warned him about Sideswipe and Primus knew who else that might see and tease him for it in the future, but he didn't care. Let them. He wouldn't abandon this moment for anything.

When they reached Ratchet's office the femme paused. She hadn't thought much about taking the mech's hand, but now she wondered. It was probably inappropriate, yet she really didn't want to let go. It was only a few kliks of processing before she released his hand and knocked on the door.

“Yes?” Came a disgruntled reply.

“It's Scatterblade and Illusory,” the mech answered. “I need to talk to you.”

“Come in,” the CMO invited, the bite gone from his voice.

Opening the door, Scatterblade prepared himself for the conversation that was about to take place. “I assume you've talked to Wheeljack?” He started, deciding that getting straight to the point.

Ratchet studied the two 'bots as they entered his office, a set look of displeasure on his faceplates. “The more important question is; what did he say to you that you are in my office right now?”

“Wheeljack never really told me your opinion on it all. I know it's risky, we can't trust that thing, but I don't want it to be a part of me anymore.” He made sure to keep his voice confident.

“I understand that,” the CMO sighed. “My concern is that the pretender was made and programmed by Decepticons intent on causing you harm – physical and mental – and that it has very clearly expressed its willingness to follow through with that programming.”

“You believe this is another trick?” Illusory felt her anger towards the pretender rising again. If they just offlined it, would it really be worse than what they were facing now?

“I believe it is an unknown and I do not like unknowns in my facility,” the medic stated firmly.

The mech nodded. “I understand. I spoke with it for a short while. It...told me it had connections to my memory files, that it could decipher some of my thoughts.” He shifted uncomfortably thinking that the Pit spawn might be stealing his thoughts this very moment.

“That is disconcerting,” Ratchet leaned back in his seat a little. “That could prove to be very dangerous should the pretender find its way back to the Decepticons...perhaps I should reconsider my stance on pushing this separation.” Still, the CMO wasn't comfortable with the idea. “I'm still confident we can find another way, given time.”

The mech's spark sped up with Ratchet's wavering conviction. “I'm fine with waiting, though Illusory and I want to help Charlie get back to her family before the upcoming human holiday.”

“Hmm,” Ratchet leaned forward on his desk. “Charlie seems well enough that I have no issues allowing her to return to normal functions for the time being. Of course, I will expect her to return for regular maintenance and check ups.” He studied Scatterblade for a moment longer before continuing. “However, I do not feel comfortable releasing you until we have taken care of this pretender. There are just too many risks.”

“I guess the next question is, how do we figure that out?”

“There are a few options – the last in my preference would be to follow Wheeljack's suggestion – however, others will probably take quite a bit longer to see any development. I am not familiar with pretender technology, so it would be pretty much starting from scratch. I would have to sift through all of your coding and find what is yours and what is the pretenders and separate them manually before removing the housing components.” The medic explained as simply as he could. “It will likely take several orns for each part of the procedure.”

Scatterblade nodded, accepting the explanation and all it entailed. “Aright. I'm leaning toward your suggestion more than its. When do you think you could try? I'd really rather get it done sooner than later.”

Ratchet looked pleased with Scatterblade's decision. “We can start immediately. You will have to be confined to the med bay until I can get through your coding and separate it. Do what you need to get done and then come back here. I will prepare for you.”

The black mech's spark rate raced even faster with the decision. “I'll come back when I'm ready,” he said with a nod.

Ratchet stood, waving the two 'bots from his office as he prepared to ready a suitable set up for the process.

Illusory was the first to leave, but she stood almost dumbly just outside the door and to the side so she wasn't in the way. She waited until Ratchet was gone before turning to Scatterblade. “This sounds less risky than that thing's idea...but are you sure about this?”

Scatterblade cycled more air through his vents. “I don't know. I don't want to put you our Charlie in danger by having it...and I don't want it there anymore.”

The femme resisted the urge to hug the mech. “We will be alright, Scatterblade. We will do what we must to make sure you are okay.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Thanks. As much as I want this gone fast, I'd rather do it safely.”

“That _is_ the wiser choice,” Illusory smiled. “Charlie and I will simply have to find ways to keep ourselves occupied while you are...detained.” There was a flicker of doubt, maybe a touch of fear in her optics, but it was one in a flash and the smile on her face reflected in her yellow optics as well.

“I don't really have anything to do right now to prepare except for telling Charlie.”

“Not now,” the femme shook her head slightly, “after she has rested. For now, it would be nice to relax; perhaps to return to that small body of water? Take some time before you commit to this fully?”

Scatterblade's mood lifted. “I'd like that a lot.” He smiled brightly at her, keeping her hand in his as he turned for their new destination.

Illusory did her best to keep her apprehension from getting the best of her. With Scatterblade locked away in the med bay, she was unsure of how she would function around the base. Previously she had been granted some level of hospitality, but she had also been injured and Scatterblade had been around most of the time to keep her company. Surely they wouldn't do anything that would put her in danger, but she still felt ill at ease to be left on her own.

When Scatterblade glanced at the femme beside him, he noticed notice her rising nervousness, having had some practice at recognizing her behaviors by now. He squeezed her hand again to draw her from her thoughts.

Illusory seemed a little surprised by the action, but didn't pull away. Instead, she returned the gesture. “Thank you.”

“That's what partners are for.”

“I cannot claim I have ever truly had a 'partner' that I could count on before. It will take some time to get used to,” she smiled teasingly, though there was the taint of truth to her voice.

“We have plenty of time,” he assured her.

When they reached the small pond, Scatterblade settled down near the edge of the water, just enjoying the odd little environment.

Illusory looked over the small oasis before setting beside him. “It really is lovely here. It is nice to see beautiful things after everything that has happened to Cybertron.”

“Of all the planets our race could have landed on, I'm happy it was this one.” He allowed one foot to dip into the water, it's coolness soothing his frame. “The humans make it better. If I had to keep living without any sentient contact, I think I'd go crazy.”

“It is very nice to have them around; they are fascinating. However...do you think that our arriving here is more harmful to the humans than it is helpful? We may be happy here, but are they happy we are here?”

“I was pretty excited at first, you remember. But,” he vented, leaning back on his hands, “after what has happened to Charlie? I'm not so sure anymore.”

“That is what I am afraid of. I do not want to grow accustomed to another home just to lose it.” She vented. “But I suppose that is a matter for another day. Positive thoughts!” The femme stood abruptly and waded into the water. It wasn't very deep, barely coming to just below her hips, but it was cool and refreshing none the less.

Scatterblade laughed at her rather sudden change in subject and joined her in the water. “Humans are lucky, they can float.”

“Yes, but they also cannot go as long without oxygen as we can,” the femme stated as she allowed herself down to be covered completely by the waters. She found the coolness of it rushing over her frame almost thrilling. The sudden dampening of ambient sound was relaxing.

Scatterblade mimicked the movement. The sudden transition from the heat around them to the coolness of the pond was jarring at first, but he relaxed soon enough and enjoyed watching some of the natural inhabitants swim around.

Illusory indulged herself in the ambient silence the water offered, enjoying viewing the life rarely seen from above and how peacefully it functioned underwater. It made her spark ache for the same kind of innocence, stability, and assurance that things would always be this way for them. Once her frame was sufficiently chilled, she rose above the waters again and sat herself on the bank to begin drying.

Scatterblade joined her after just a few breems longer of enjoying the cool water. “This planet has more surprises all the time.”

“It's wonderful,” the femme agreed happily. “Ah hope this all lasts,” she pulled in as much air as her systems would allow, enjoying everything about the small oasis as deeply as she could. “Maybe this really could be our new home. Maybe we could find some peace here. Ya think?”

“I hope so,” he vented blissfully, offlining his optics and letting his audios capture the subtle noises around them.

Illusory sat, enjoying the sounds, the smells, and everything else around her. Then, almost shyly, crept closer to Scatterblade, leaning on him a little. The mech easily adjusted himself so he could wrap his arm around her.

“Ah'm scared fer you,” she admitted. “Ah'm scared...ta be without you...”

The mech felt his spark tighten at her confession. “I'll be fine. I'll always be here for you.”

“Ah hope so,” she vented softly. “It's still terrifyin' ta think that anythin' could happen in there. Ah don't know enough about this kinda' think ta not be afraid fer ya.”

Scatterblade pulled her closer to him. “I'll be fine. Ratchet's the best. I have complete faith in him. Try and take some courage from that, at least. I know that takes a lot for you, but I promise it will save you a lot of grief.”

Illusory reveled in the embrace, in their closeness for a while before saying anything back. “Ah...will try,” she said. She wanted to believe like he did, if for no other reason than for his sake, but she still had doubts.

“I'm really excited for when we get to go with Charlie,” he said contentedly. “No 'Cons. No Ratchet,” he laughed knowing that thought alone would improve his companion's mood.

“It'll almost be like there is no war...” Illusory stilled for a moment after speaking. “Ah don't know if Ah remember what that's like,” she admitted, though hopefully.

“We can figure that out together,” he grinned, “make new memories.”

“That sounds wonderful,” the femme vented happily. She was perfectly contented to stay right where she was, thinking of the possibilities.

“Your accent is cute,” Scatterblade commented much later.

The femme pulled away, her whole frame showing sudden discomfort. “No it is not,” she enunciated clearly, all signs of her accent vanished. “I did not even realize I had slipped...” she lamented softly.

Scatterblade mentally kicked himself for inadvertently ruining the moment. “Hey, it's alright. I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean it to hurt you...” He honestly didn't understand how he had offended her, but he was sorry for it none-the-less.

“I...” Illusory vented heavily, calming herself and trying to force some of the tension out of her frame. “No, it is not your fault. It is simply one of those things that...I have not slipped in my accent for _vorns,_ before I came here _._ I learned to keep it well hidden. It is a sign of where I came from and the fate that befell my home. I do not wish to be marked with that fate, which is why I attempt to hide it.”

“I'm sorry...I didn't know.”

“I know,” she soothed as best she could. “I should really not have reacted that way. I will just have to be more aware in the future.”

“What happened that you would have to hide it?” He wasn't sure if he was pushing too far or not, but he really wanted to know.

“Nothing more than what happened to the rest of our world,” she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her head on them. “It was destroyed.”

Venting softly to himself, Scatterblade nodded in understanding. He was sure there was more to it than that, but if this was all she wanted to say, he would accept it. “I've got a Pit of a way to ruin a mood, huh?” He chuckled weakly, hoping to steer her back towards better thinking.

“Oh,” the femme shifted so she could look at him, “only about as much as I do, I suppose.”

“You're fine,” he assured her with a slight wave of his hand. “Just some different views on things.”

“Maybe that is something I can learn to be better at.”

The mech smiled. “I'd be glad to help.”

Illusory let go of her knees, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the sky above. “I would like that.”

***

Tibs sat at his usual table, some papers and a few books sprawled across its surface, practically warding away all that might approach. He had become obsessed with the uses of the Cybertronian technology for human prosthesis and was currently looking for other health issues that could be addressed with the technology. His food sat cold and forgotten in one corner of the table, half covered by papers he had scribbled some notes on.

Charlie noted the familiar face and, with food in hand, she walked to the table and sat down. “Hello, Tibs,” she greeted happily.

The man's head snapped up at the greeting. “Charlie!” He cheered happily, then scrambled to organize his mess enough to spare the woman some room to sit. “Sorry about all this. I got a little wrapped up in it all I guess. How are you? I was worried when you ran off, but I thought maybe you just needed some time alone.”

Charlie chuckled nervously, remembering their last shared meal. “Yeah, I uh...yeah, needed some time. I'm doing really good now. Sick of sleeping, but last night was exactly what I needed.”

“Yeah, your body is going to need a lot of rest to recoup and adjust to all of this. I'm glad to hear you're doing well, though. I suspect you'll be released soon.” He almost sounded regretful, despite his smile and eager eyes.

“I'm really hoping to be home for Christmas,” she nodded happily, unaware of any meaning behind the man's words. When it came to sarcasm and underlying messages, she was dreadfully monolingual. “It'll still be a while though. 'Blade's gotta figure out his...dilemma,” she shrugged sheepishly.

“Right, that weird little...mini-robot. I visited Wheeljack earlier and saw it. It's downright creepy! And rude...” he shook his head with the memory. “I can't blame the guy for wanting to be rid of it. How long do you thin that's going to be?”

She shook her head a little. “I have no idea, a few days maybe? I hope he does it safely, I'm freaking out a little just thinking about it.”

Tibs nodded. “Ratchet has it under control, I'm sure. There's nothing to worry about.” He shuffled away some more of his papers, his interest fully separated from the work now. “You've really grown pretty attached to him, huh?”

Charlie couldn't help but smirk. “He's like the big brother I never had. He's a hoot. Makes everyone think he's all swords and no brains. He's...pretty cool.”

With an honest laugh, Tibs sat back in his seat. “you know, I would have never thought about robots being so...unique. I mean, I had done some base study on AI and all, but these guys? Nothing like that.” he sighed. “I wish I could meet more of them. It's sad that their race is so dwindled.”

Charlie raised an eyebrow at his description. “AI doesn't even come anywhere near them,” she reprimanded lightly. “But, yeah, it's been amazing.”

“I can't say I don't envy you for your experience with them.” He sighed, then looking to her arm became a touch alarmed. “I mean, not all of them, but...well, you know...the friendship and all. I get along great with these guys here, but they're all soldiers and very keyed into the war. They rarely let that front down. Well, the front-liners do from time to time, but I can't say that it's always a good thing with them. Trouble makers most of the time.”

“It's okay,” Charlie said, interrupting his rambling. “I think I know what you mean.”

“So...you've told me about your time with them. Now, if you don't mind, tell me how you met them?”

“It was by accident, really. I was out hiking and found this car looking damaged and up a tree,” she shrugged with a slight laugh at the old memory that felt like a lifetime ago. “When the car started talking back I was really confused. I didn't realize what she was back then, she had some kinda hologram or something sitting in the front seat. After talking with her about why she was out in the middle of a forest with a wrecked car, I tried to get her some help but she kept refusing. That's when her holoform flickered and I ran. I...uh...” she chuckled with embarrassment, “fell in the river.”

“You fell in the river?” Tibs looked a little alarmed, though obviously aware that she had come out okay. “Then what?”

“She fished me out, in all her grand robotic glory. We got to talking more, she even had her hologram walk with us on our hike, but then something went off on her radar and she had to leave.”

“Wow. You weren't scared? I mean, I'm sure you were scared when you ran into the river, but you just...struck up a conversation?”

Charlie was about to protest that she had been afraid at all, though as she thought back on the moment, she nodded. “Yeah. I did. Maybe it was shock and possible hypothermia, but that pretty much says it. It was amazing. I never thought anything exciting would happen in my life. Going away to college was...it. The only real adventure I'd ever experience. Shows how wrong I was.” She sipped at her drink as she reveled in the thoughts of how things had changed since then.

Tibs laughed, half amusement, half ironic disbelief of the simple statement. “Life has a way of throwing things at you you would never have expected.” He waved his hands around to include their surroundings. “I mean, look at where we are right now.”

“Secret military slash alien hide out?” She quipped, her grin tugging at one side of her face.

“Getting to be the first humans to make substantial contact with aliens – in a productive way – that has been recorded so far. Not only do we get to see them and learn from them, but we get to actually _know_ them!” He leaned back in his chair with the sheer weight of his disbelief.

“It sounds unbelievable when you say it like that,” she mocked, then let out a deep breath. “But seriously, this is beyond anything. It's...” she shrugged, not finding any word that fit well enough without just repeating herself. “I can't believe no one else has bumped into these guys.”

“They're really talented at not being seen...usually.” He shook his head thinking of the few incidences that had potentially alerted the world to the presence of the aliens. “I wish they didn't have to be so cautious around our kind; that they could trust us...but that will probably never happen. Not fully. Humans are just too...human for that.” He sighed heavily, obviously old hurts resurfacing, but he quickly turned his thoughts away from those and refocused. “We're the lucky ones!”

Charlie furrowed her brow at his musings, but smiled at the brave declaration. “yeah, I still can't believe 'Blade and Illusory want to come with me. 'Blade's going to be super bored,” she laughed.

“They're going with you?!” The man seemed completely shocked by the idea.

Charlie's smile fell at the outburst. “Illusory wanted to, and 'Blade isn't about to leave her,” she was unsure.

“Wow!” Still stunned, Tibs leaned forward, a sly grin creeping on his face. “So, the mech is chasing after the femme, huh?”

Charlie plastered on an innocent look. “I don't know,” she shook her head, a lopsided grin slowly growing.

“Oh, come on!” He slid back in his chair once more. “You've got to have _something_...”

Charlie looked over her shoulder casually, then back to him. “They've been spending a lot of time together. I think I even saw him holding her hand the other day.”

“Oh?” The excitement was clear in his voice, encouraging her to continue.

“They haven't visited me separately since I got back from the whole...freak-of-nature thing,” she waved off the incident with her hand uncertainly. “I haven't seen them without each other. It's my educated guess,” she said with mock flare, “that they have some kind of understanding. Though I'm pretty sure it's not the Jane Austen type, but it's a start.”

“Huh.” Tibs contemplated this for a while. “Maybe...” his interested smirk turned to something a little more devious. “Maybe they could use some help? I mean, a race intrenched in war older than our civilization...maybe they don't exactly have 'basic courting' rituals anymore?”

“Hey,” she held up a finger in caution. “If they want help, they will ask. If they don't I'll wiggle it out of them,” she added with a sly smirk.

Tibs laughed again. “I should really keep my 'mat maker' to myself...” his smile refused to fade at all. “I just can't help but to hope to see a relationship develop; maybe see some offspring. I asked a coupble of the 'bots about their children, they call them 'sparklings', and from what I've gathered there haven't been any for...longer than I can even imagine. Wouldn't it be an amazing new chapter for their race to have sparklings again?”

“It would be amazing,” Charlie agreed. “Little ones running around...it would be so fun.”

“Yeah...” Tibs agreed wistfully. “I admit that I envy that you will be so close to them. Chances of seeing the developments are pretty high for you. You'll have to keep me updated.”

Charlie felt the grin creeping back onto her face. “I will.”

With all that seemingly settled, Tibs looked over his stacks of paperwork and books. “I suppose I should be getting back to work...not that anyone is really going to notice me slacking off. One of the benefits of being the only one in the branch of research I'm in.” He smiled broadly at Charlie before scooping up his things and nodding at her. “It was great chatting with you, hopefully I'll see you again.”

“I'll be here a while longer,” she promised him with a grin of her own.

“Good!” With a wave, the man headed out to return to his work.

Charlie looked down at her food intending to clean up and throw it away, but to her surprise she hadn't eaten much of it. She had spent more time talking than eating. She thought about how shy she used to be, so long ago it seemed, before she had gone away to college. Everything after that just encouraged her to be more open and social. It sure was funny how life could change in so short a time.

***

Illusory had wandered the base for what felt like orns, though it hadn't been more than a few joors. She felt so strange being by herself at the moment, just waiting to hear about Scatterblade. She had made it explicitly clear to Ratchet that if anything happened – anything at all – she was to be contacted immediately. She had also pretended not to notice the smirk on the medic's face at her demands. Still, here she was wandering a military base with nothing to do but wait.

She considered finding Charlie and seeing about leaving the base for a few joors just to pass some time, but at the same time didn't want to be far away in case something really did happen.

Venting unhappily she glanced at the med bay for what had to be an uncountable number of times, then turned away, determined to find something to distract her.

***

Scatterblade sat uneasily in the med bay, trying to keep his nervousness from consuming him.

Ratchet busied himself with preparing for the coding separation – an exceptionally long task indeed – but kept talking to Scatterblade as he did, assuring him that even though it was going to take time, everything would go just fine. When he was finally prepared he instructed the younger mech to lay down on a berth surrounded by all the different calibrated machines for the task at hand. “Are you sure you are ready to begin? We will be here until we complete this.”

The black mech nodded. “I'm sure. I'll be fine,” he said more to reassure himself than the medic.

“Very well. You will feel your systems shutting down one at a time; I need to go through all of your shut down coding first.”

Scatterblade nodded, the nervousness starting to dissolve under the medic's sure hands. He vented a few times to ensure it would leave him all together.

Ratchet hooked up his equipment and began the process. It was slow going, but he seemed encouraged by how smoothly the separation was going.

Scatterblade had offlined his optics voluntarily. He knew how bored he would be if he had to stare up at the ceiling the whole time.

Not too far away, in Wheeljack's lab, the pretender was active and noting the process of manual separation from its host. It had hoped the mech would have taken its offer, but either way the pretender still had a job to do and he would do it. Grinning to itself it started the last stage of its programming.

In the med bay, Scatterblade felt an inexplicable pain suddenly stab at his processor. His motor functions were nonexistent and he could barely coax his vocalizer to work. His optics onlined in a flash as he bit back a shout of surprise, doing his best not to move despite what he felt. He was pretty sure he would mess up whatever Ratchet was doing. “Doc-” he managed to squeeze out past the pain, forced to offline his optics again.

Ratchet paused in his work, turning to see the distress in his patient. “What's going on, Scatterblade?”

“M-my...head...” he choked out. “It hurts.” His audios started to pick up static, like he was slowly sinking into white noise.

Moving quickly the medic scanned Scatterblade's head. “Slag! Hold on, 'Blade, this is going to hurt.” The medic wasted no time in starting a forced systematic crash through the front-liner's systems to stop the process that was currently taking place. “Stay with me as long as you can,” he demanded of the mech while putting out several emergency alerts. One to each of his medics to get their afts in gear and come help him, and one to Wheeljack to tell him to deactivate the slagging pretender _now_!

Scatterblade felt his optics shutter as he tried to do as the medic demanded. The pain yanked at his head and for a nano-klik, everything refused to work. His senses were going black.

When Wheeljack received the alert from Ratchet, alarm shot through him. He turned to the pretender to see if he could figure out what was going on, but had every intention of at least taking the little thing offline.

Jolt rushed to the med bay to help Ratchet. It wasn't often that the CMO sent out an alert like that and the younger medic knew that it was far from a good thing that he had. Knowing that Ratchet had been beginning Scatterblade's coding separation did little to ease the younger mech's anxiety. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Illusory saw the blue medic running and fear shot through her, driving her to follow him.

Scatterblade felt numb at first, his audios and optics coming back online. The pain was distant and he felt more and more like he was being stretched between two different...places? It was the simplest explanation he could formulate at the moment. He tried his best to keep himself together, despite the odd tearing he felt in his consciousness.

Jolt jumped right in, not even needing instruction to see what was going on and where he needed to be.

Illusory stumbled in, nearly on Jolt's heels. Seeing the urgent actions of both medics, not to mention the mumbling curses from Ratchet, she paused. “What's goin' on?!” She demanded.

Ratchet's head snapped up at the femme's voice, a look of annoyance and dread on his face. “Now isn't the time, get out of here!”

“Like Pit Ah will!” The femme snarled with far more fierceness than she felt. Her spark felt lodged in her intakes and her tanks felt on the verge of purging their contents, but she wasn't going anywhere unless she was physically removed.

In his lab, Wheeljack fished out the little pretender from its 'cage', trying to determine the quickest way to offline the thing without damaging it.

Scatterblade thought for a nano-klik that his optics were malfunctioning again. He could have sworn he had just seen Wheeljack for the briefest of moments. A sudden nagging thought told him to not focus on that. He tried hard to tune back into the room he was in; the med bay...Ratchet...now Jolt...Illusory...oh, slag. She wasn't supposed to be there. “Lu...” he pushed. “Lu..please, leave...” he begged. He didn't want her to see this, whatever this was. It would tear her apart.

Hearing the mech's strangled voice did nothing for convincing the femme to leave. “NO!” She snapped loudly, pushing further into the room. Her confidence was all false, she was scared and on the verge of a break down right there, but she was not going to leave Scatterblade. Instead, she took his hand in hers and held onto it with all of her desire to keep him safe and whole. “Ah'm not goin' anywhere, mech...an' neither are you.”

Ratchet glared at the femme; however, at her statement decided that unless she was in their way, she could stay.

Scatterblade squeezed Illusory's hand, completely forgetting why he even asked her to go. Having her there was...it was important to him.

Wheeljack decided that the quickest way to offline the pretender would be to access its systems directly and shut it down that way. He jacked into the small 'bot and sought out the manual shut down programs.

The pretender had been so focused on its duty, on what it wanted more than anything else, it didn't realize what the inventor was doing until he was already deep into its systems. It sent a blast of electricity at the mech, hoping to deter him long enough to complete his goal, otherwise...all would be lost.

Wheeljack was shocked by the electrical blast; however, if any mech could be used to electrical surges it was Wheeljack. The engineer gave a sound of pain and displeasure, but continued his work; more determined now that the pretender was obviously trying to stop him.

Ratchet continued to systematically crash Scatterblade's systems, slowing the program that was tearing the mech from his own frame and allowing the pretender to consume him.

Scatterblade's grip tightened on Illusory's hand as the image of Wheeljack finally faded, the pain was definitely still there but it was starting to decline. “Lu,” he moaned.

“Ah'm here,” she promised, moving as close as she could. “Ah'm not goin' anywhere.”

The pretender growled in frustration, fighting the shutdown. It felt everything closing down, slipping away from it, it's mission was failing. In a last ditch effort to at least cripple the mech, it enacted the only move it had left. A virus transmitted before the pretender slumped into full shutdown.

Once he was sure the pretender was beyond stopping the shutdown, Wheeljack headed for the med bay. Whatever was going on, he was sure he wanted to be there.

“No!” Ratchet practically roared as the virus transmitted. Both medics were now working on the critical systems, keeping the virus from getting to them.

“What's goin' on?” Illusory's voice trembled, finally showing the fear inside her.

Before, Scatterblade had felt like he was slowly sinking, now the mech plunged into darkness. His grip tightened for a brief moment at the shock of the virus hitting his systems. His optics offlined and his vents worked double time to keep his systems from overheating. Then, his grip on Illusory's hand slackened.

Illusory's grip tightened, her whole frame trembling with fear. “What's goin' on?!” She demanded again, but the medics were far too concentrated on keeping Scatterblade's vitals safe from the virus to answer her.

Wheeljack finally reached the med bay, the limp form of the pretender held in his hand. “Little bugger still had some trouble left in him, it seems,” the inventor spoke before realizing the situation at hand.

Illusory's optics locked onto the little 'bot, her fear doubling but anger bubbled to the surface. “Ah'm gonna destroy that thing!” She promised darkly before turning back to Scatterblade. “Please, be alright, 'Blade...please don't leave me.”

Scatterblade tried to online his optics, but everything was dark. None of his sensors could detect anything. It was too quiet, audible nothingness...

He chuckled emptily at the thought. “Lu?” He tried to create some kind of noise in this place of emptiness. “Lu? Where are you?”

The medics continued to work, Wheeljack jumping in to help where he could. His efforts were soon turned to the pretender and trying to find the source of the virus so they could remove it before any worse damage was caused.

Illusory was left to her thoughts and fears as she held tightly to the mech's hand, whispering softly to him. She promised that he would be okay and that she wasn't going anywhere.

Scatterblade vented in relief as the femme's voice drifted to him in the darkness. “I can't see you, but thanks.” He felt something distantly against his hand. Looking he couldn't see anything, but he could still feel something. He squeezed his hand and felt the solidity of another hand within his. He grinned knowing it was Illusory's. “Thanks for not listening to me. I'm trying to find my way back, I promise.”

Joors passed as the medics and inventor worked furiously. More than one attempt had gone into convincing Illusory to leave, promising that they would contact her, but the femme refused. She wasn't going to move from this spot.

The medics were used to pulling the long joors of work. Illusory, however, was not and was soon recharging lightly beside Scatterblade though her grip on his hand never loosened. It was almost as if she feared he might vanish if she were to let her guard down even in her sleep.

Finally, once Ratchet was sure that the virus had been contained, he started bringing Scatterblade's systems online, one by one, separating the coding from the pretender as he went. This wasn't the way he had wanted things to go, but he was going to make the best of it.

Scatterblade had been walking in this nothingness for a long time. He couldn't even remember how long he had been there, only that he was still looking for something. At some point he started noting his sensors coming back online.

Once the mech started showing some response, Ratchet tried to see how much damage had been done by the virus. “Scatterblade? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” the mech groaned. “You don't have to be so loud.”

With a heavy vent of relief, the medic finally allowed some of the stress to drain from his frame. “Can you tell me what's working and what isn't?”

“I'm...not sure,” he said groggily, looking around. “Wait...who are you?”

Ratchet froze momentarily. “I am Autobot Chief Medical Officer Ratchet and apparently you have processor damage.”

Scatterblade was confused, but nodded. “Okay...how'd I get here?” He looked around the room and saw a femme recharging next to him, her hand still tucked into his. Something about her was familiar...

He grabbed his head as pain shot through his processor.

“The short side of it? You escaped a Decepticon science lab and ended up here. Part of the programming they left inside of you just tried to tear you apart. We managed to get it contained, but there are still orns of work ahead of us before you're fully functional. Hopefully your memory loss will not last...” Ratchet glanced at the femme still resting near the mech and his spark hurt thinking that Scatterblade might not recall her either. How would she react to that? 'Not good,' he surmised ruefully. “I will have to do a full diagnostic to see what has been damaged and what hasn't, though at this point I'm not holding out much hope that anything made it through without some harm done to it.”

The mech nodded, not really listening. The femme beside him still held his attention. Where did he know her from?

Ratchet continued to ramble on as he set up the machines to run the diagnostic. He was sure the mech wasn't listening any longer, but that mattered little to him. He should have been thankful the mech even came back online. What was a little processor damage in the name of a whole life?

Illusory stirred at the medic's rambling voice. She hadn't realized she had fallen into recharge and was a bit alarmed to find she had. Sitting up fully she looked around with fear of what she might see, then her optics fell to Scatterblade and she found that he was looking at her. “Yer online!” She fell on him, hugging him as best she could, her frame trembled with relief.

Scatterblade let the femme hug him, shock on his face. He didn't have the spark to push her away, she sounded so relieved and he didn't really know what to say. He was pretty sure 'who are you' wasn't going to play out very well.

“Yer alright, right? Ah mean...yer...” she looked to Ratchet for some confirmation, but the guarded look on the medic's face did little to ease her mounting concern.

“He is currently functional,” Ratchet stated blankly. “I am running a diagnostic now.”

“Y-yeah,” he stuttered, wanting to comfort the femme even though he didn't know why. “Yeah, I'm...I'm okay.”

“Illusory, why don't you go get some energon and recharge while I finish here.”

The femme glared at the medic, despite her weariness she still wasn't about to leave Scatterblade. “No,” she stated firmly. “I said I was going to stay and I will.”  


“What about Charlie?” It was a low blow, but Ratchet had to think of some way to get the femme away until he could figure out just how deep Scatterblade's memory corruption ran.

The mech glanced between the two, noting the way they both held their stance as if they might fight it out, though his bets laid heavily on the medic winning. He wondered briefly who, or what, Charlie was, but decided this wasn't the moment for that question either.

Illusory looked undecided for a few kliks, then looked back at Scatterblade. Deciding that he looked safe enough, she vented and stood to leave. “I will be back,” she promised before heading out.

Ratchet waited until he was sure the femme was long away from the med bay before addressing the frontliner again. “You don't remember her either, do you?” The medic did his best to keep his dread from his voice. By now he was a pro at it, but it didn't feel any less sickening inside.

The black mech vented as he struggled with his processor. “I-I think I do,” he said softly, “but every time I try to think-” he grunted, holding his head again, “that happens.”

“Memory block,” the medic nodded. “Hopefully that can be remedied.”

Scatterblade felt a shudder run through his frame. “Good,” he said, running through the information the medic had given him so far. None of it sounded familiar, yet none of it seemed wrong either. He didn't like this one bit.

 


	25. Event Twenty Five

Event Twenty-Five

~

_Scattered illusions are the images to which we cling in times of great distress._

~

Illusory made her way around the base, looking for Charlie and doing her best to ignore the concerned looks of those around her. By now, everyone knew what had happened to Scatterblade, and likewise knew that Illusory had refused to leave his side during the ordeal.

Stumbling into the rec room to find some energon, Illusory was somewhat surprised to see Charlie there. “Hey,” she greeted quietly.

Charlie had stayed in the rec room, having gone there after lunch the previous day to wait out Scatterblade's procedure. She had seen Jolt run off and had almost gone after him knowing something had gone wrong, but something held her back. She stayed there and eventually ended up falling asleep on the floor. Recognizing the femme's voice she bolted up to her feet. “Lu? Is he okay? What the heck happened? Why was everyone running around like somebody died?”

“He is alright, as far as I can tell. It seems that when Ratchet tried to separate the pretender...there was a complication and Scatterblade became infected with a virus that tried to destroy him. He is online and Ratchet assured me that he is functional.” She grabbed a cube of energon from the dispensary, then found a place to sit, taking Charlie with her. “He seemed a little odd through, but maybe that is just my own processor playing tricks on me.”

Charlie sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. How long have you been with him?”

“From the moment I saw Jolt running to the med bay. I only left to come check on you and to get some energon. I think Ratchet was trying to drive me out.”

Charlie nodded, a grim look taking hold. “I would have too. No need to worry when things will be alright. He was probably just concerned for you.”

The femme vented, almost slamming her cube on the table beside her, but restraining herself so she wouldn't harm Charlie. “I do not believe everything is alright,” she growled. “That little...thing...tried to tear him apart from the inside!” She took a moment to let her anger simmer before shoving it back down. “No...no...that is over. I am sorry, Charlie. I should not have said that.”

Charlie flinched at the femmes violent reaction, but gave her a weak grin despite it. “It's okay,” she said, hoping she could comfort the obviously distressed femme.

“No, it is not. I should be assuring you that he will be just fine, not creating more doubt. I suppose I am just allowing too much stress to get to me.” She vented again. “have you been here all this time?”

The woman accepted the apology easily. She knew what it was like to be so worried about someone you cared for, it was easy to forget others were just as worried. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I have. I...got a little scared. Didn't want to be in the way in the med bay, so I just stayed here.”

“That might have been the better idea. We should probably see about getting you a quarters outside of the med bay. Since you no longer need to be under supervision, it should not be an issue.”

“I'd like that a lot,” she smiled at the change of topic. “I'm just glad I'm not gonna spend the rest of my time in a hospital bed.”

“We should go speak with the human head of this base. I am sure he could arrange appropriate lodgings for you.”

“Yeah. I haven't really seen much of the human side of things here.”

Illusory laughed. “We have been monopolizing your time.” Leaving her energon where it sat, the femme stood. “Come on, let us see about making you more comfortable.”

They headed across the base toward the human sector. While the humans and Autobots might work together on almost every level, there were many parts that they kep tspearate; such as living and personal offices. Once they were more in the human section, more humans appeared.

“Hey,” one man asked as the pair ventured in, “you looking for someone?”

Charlie flinched at the question, she hadn't thought too much about _who_ they were going to see. “Uhm...I'm not exactly sure who, but um, I think his name was Lennox?”

“Oh! Yeah, Major Lennox? He's in his office I think.” The man gave them directions to the appropriate place. The building itself was too small for Illusory to enter, so she created her holoform to accompany Charlie inside.

Walking into the base with Illusory by her side helped give Charlie courage. She didn't like how she was more scared of the humans around here than she was of the giant aliens.

They found the right office easily enough. Illusory knocked lightly on the door and received a short; “Enter,” for her efforts. Opening the door, the femme allowed Charlie to enter first.

“Hi, Major Lennox. Remember me?” Charlie waved at the man upon entering. They had only met once, but she was sure she would never forget him.

He looked up with a smile already on his face. “Of course, Charlie, I remember you. However...” he looked to the woman following the girl he already knew. “I'm not familiar with you.”

“Illusory,” the woman smiled. “I thought I would accompany Charlie and this was the only way I could manage through the building.”

“Right!” Will looked over the holoform. Now that he knew who she was, he could spot the odd little tell-tale signs that gave her away. “What brings you ladies here?”

“I'm looking for a room. Just until Scatterblade gets cleared by Ratchet. That and the hospital-like one has got all the wrong Feng Shui,” she joked.

“Ah! Moving in, huh?” He smiled before turning to a small laptop set to the side on his desk. “I do have some civilian class rooms available. It won't be any hotel, but it would probably be more comfortable than living in the med bay.” After only a moment he scribbled down an 'address' for the room and handed it over to Charlie. “How's the mech doing anyway?”

Charlie gaped a little, then looked at the ground. “I don't know. Something happened. That...stupid pretender hurt him. Ratchet's trying to get him set right again.”

Illusory just managed to choke back a snarl of anger.

“That's too bad,” Will noted the reactions of both the women currently standing before him. “Ratchet's a good medic. He'll pull him through, I'm sure.”

“Of course,” Illusory agreed, though with much less assurance.

“How about you, Charlie? How are you doing?”

The redhead grinned up at the major. “I'm doing much better. My arms match,” she displayed both arms for comparison. “I've adjusted really well, as far as I've been told.”

Will studied the girl's arms closely, trying to recall which one had been the prosthetic and finding no help from looking at them. “That's simply amazing. I'm really happy this is working out for you and more than happy that you guys came up with this idea. It's going to help so many people.”

“I'm really excited to help out. Thanks for the room. I should try and stop by some more before I leave.”

“Any time,” Will smiled. “My door is always open.”

“Thanks.” Charlie gave the man another short wave as she headed out. Illusory offered a nod of thanks before following her.

As they made their exit from the building, Charlie felt her anxiety starting to lay claim over her. She was really starting to think about what she heard happened to Scatterblade and she was starting to worry. So much could have happened, so much _might have_ happened that they didn't know about yet...she took a few deep breaths and let them out slowly to calm herself. There was no use in getting worked up about it. Not until they knew something for sure. That, and she was pretty sure that if she lost it right now, Illusory wouldn't be far behind.

“Would you like to see the room you will be staying in?” The femme offered as yet another distraction for her own processor. She wanted to go back to the med bay and check on Scatterblade, but she knew Ratchet would kick her out the second she stepped in...or he would try at the very least and she wasn't quite ready for that fight.

“Yeah, let's go find it.” The woman was more than happy to accept the distraction for what it was. They both needed to keep themselves occupied.

The pair wandered the halls for a bit before finding the correct area. It was all pretty utilitarian, not much to speak of decor or personality but it was functional. When Charlie walked into the room, a frown tugged down on her face. She hadn't expected much, but she had hoped for something a little more...hospitable. “At least it doesn't have a gurney,” she shrugged optimistically. There was always something to be thankful for.

“I suppose you cannot expect much from a military installation,” Illusory stated as she looked around the room. It looked quite acceptable to her, but she wasn't sure what would make it more appealing to a human.

“It just needs some...color,” Charlie decided, a grin overtaking the frown. “I'm not sure where to look for it though.”

“Color? As in...paint?” A distinctly impish look overtook the femme's face. She knew exactly where they could acquire such things.

“I don't know if they'll let me paint the walls,” the woman shrugged. “Butcher paper would work though; hang that and cover it with things to brighten the room.”

“Butcher paper?”

“Big long sheets of paper.”

“Hmmm...” Illusory pondered for a bit before coming to a conclusion. “I bet we can find someone who would have something. Maybe Wheeljack? Sunstreaker would probably know where we could find something, but I am not so sure we could convince him to part with it.”

“Sunstreaker likes art?” Charlie sounded rather surprised and uncertain. She recalled the golden mech and his rather dark demeanor. He was a fighter, she gathered that quickly enough, but an artist? She wasn't so sure.

“Used to be a famous painter, actually. I have only seen a few replicas, but his work is beyond words. I am rather certain he was the one that painted the twins' quarters. It is very...reminiscent.”

Charlie gaped at the revelation. “Seriously? Dang...wonder if I could sneak a peak,” she grinned suggestively.

“He does not paint much anymore, as far as I am aware, but I imagine there might be one or two around. I am sure if we asked Sideswipe he would show us.”

“I'd like that very much!”

Illusory nodded, sending out a request to the silver front-liner when he had a moment to spare.

::Illusory,:: his voice purred over the comm, “what can I do for you?::

::Is there any of Sunstreaker's paintings displayed on base?”

::You're looking for something pretty to look at?:: The mech's tone was full of suggestions.

::I mentioned to Charlie that he used to paint. She was interested in seeing some of his work. I admit that I would not mind seeing some of his original works and not just duplicates.::

::I see,:: there was a touch of disappointment to the frontliner's tone, but he continued with a cheery mood none-the-less. ::Well, Sunny's out on patrol, so if you wanna swing by our quarters, I'll show you what he's got there. Charlie can see the room, that's really the biggest thing he's done in a long time. Don't tell him I let you bring a human though, he'd flip.::

::Agreed,:: she promised before turning to Charlie. “Sideswipe has agreed to show us some of Sunstreaker's works. We will meet him at his quarters.”

“Awesome!” The redhead cheered as she followed Illusory from her spartan room. Alien artwork? How much more amazing could her life get?

Sideswipe was waiting for them when they arrived, looking rather relaxed where he leaned against the wall. “Hello, Illusory, Charlie,” he greeted smoothly.

“Hello, Sideswipe,” the femme returned politely.

“Hi, Sideswipe!” Charlie waved with her Cybertronian arm.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” he waved dramatically at the hanger converted to fit the twin frontliners.

Illusory stepped in first, something telling her to look for anything that might be dangerous to Charlie before the human could enter. Pleased that she found nothing out of order, she stepped aside so Charlie could join her and Sideswipe followed behind.

“Sunny hasn't painted much lately,” he started, “but he's got a few things around here. Why the sudden interest in art?” The mech started moving some things around to reveal a rather large painting on the wall, as of yet incomplete.

“I finally graduated from a hospital room to a really boring white room,” Charlie stated blandly, her attention largely swept up in the extravagant painting that consumed the walls and ceiling of the hanger. She could almost believe she was standing on the alien world, looking out over one of its vast cities. “I was wondering if Sunstreaker had any paper he could spare.”

“Ah! Now that's a sentiment I can get behind.” Finished uncovering the work in progress, Sideswipe turned his focus to sifting through their belongings looking for something to help the human. “I don't know about paper, but I know we have some bare sheet metal around here that he'd never miss.”

Illusory stared at the painting she hadn't seen; an image that looked very familiar but she couldn't quite place. It was another view of Cybertron overlooking a city in the late orn light. “Where is this?”

Sideswipe looked up for a moment, having forgotten the revealed painting. “Iacon. Sunny stayed in the Prime Plaza for a few vorns when we were younger.”

Charlie's focus was drawn to the painting that sat in contrast to the room's masterpiece. While the room had vast expanses dotted with life, this one held very compact and efficient life that demanded beauty in its construction. “Oh my gosh,” she breathed. “This is...you guys' planet?” She asked in awe of all that she was taking in.

“Used to be,” the mech shrugged. “Once upon a time. Sunny's got a great memory of Iacon.”

“I never got to see it before the war. It was beautiful.”

Sideswipe stopped digging through things to look at the image again. “Yeah, it was pretty nice,” he said rather indifferently.

“I've been trying to teach myself how to draw,” Charlie said wistfully staring at the work of art in front of her. “It's still an undeveloped talent,” she said feeling her face turn red at even attempting to call what she did art compared to what she was presented with.

“I'd offer to talk to Sunny for you, but he's not a huge fan of humans,” he shrugged, returning to his search. “Been working on him about that, he tolerates everyone pretty well and he'll fight beside them, but I don't think that social time would be a good idea.”

“That is a shame,” Illusory commented, finally tearing her gaze away from the image. “I think he might find a lot of beauty in them if he would just look.”

“You know, that's what Optimus says. Well, something like that anyway.”

“One thing I've learned is that you can't force stuff on people,” Charlie shook her head meaningfully, a certain man coming to mind. It seemed willingness to co-mingle had its issues on both sides of the line.

“Don't we all know that,” Sideswipe agreed with a rather sardonic laugh. “Doesn't seem to matter what the species is.”

“Agreed,” Illusory nodded.

“So, your brother likes to paint. What do you like to do?”

“I...uh...” the mech weighed his thoughts a bit before shrugging. “I like to be active.”

“That is an understatement from the stories I have heard,” Illusory teased. “You used to be a performer, right?”

“Once upon a time,” the mech agreed.

“Performer?” Charlie asked, a grin splitting her face. It was so fascinating to hear that these bots had not lived their entire lives in war – much as Scatterblade and Illusory seemed to have – she wanted to know more about how they had once been.

“Yeah, I used to be a stuntmech in a show troupe. But that was forever ago.”

Charlie laughed at the image in her mind. “That is so cool! My little brother wants to be a stuntman.”

“There's nothing like it, I'll give you that!” Sideswipe shook his head at the memories that surfaced. He had loved his troupe and still missed them, but life had happened and that was all in the past. As he shifted around he spotted what he had been looking for. “Ah! Here we go.” He pulled out several small strips of sheet metal squares. “You can have some of these.”

“This is great! Thank you!”

“No problem! I like helping when I can.” He leaned against the wall. “So...” he paused, seeming unsure of what he wanted to say. “How's 'Blade doing?”

Illusory vented softly. “Ratchet says he is functional.”

“That's good! If Ratchet says someone's functional, that's always a good sign.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” Charlie said uneasily. Illusory's previous statement that everything was _not_ alright still echoed through her mind. “I just have this really weird feeling, but then again, I over analyze everything, so it might just be me.”

Concern instantly struck the front-liner. “How do you mean?”

“I don't know,” Charlie shrugged. “When Jolt booked it to the med bay, I kinda freaked. Tiny case of shock and I stayed in the rec room. Felt off ever sense.”

“Yeah, we all heard Jolt and Wheeljack went in after everything started. What happened?”

“A virus,” Illusory growled. “That slagging pretender...” she vented again to calm herself before she could get too worked up about it. “When he came online he just seemed...off. I am not sure why, but Ratchet all but physically removed me from the room.”

Charlie grimaced, feeling her friend's doubt like a physical blanket weighing on her shoulders. “Maybe when I get these back to the room we can sneak by the med bay? Check up on him?”

“I would like that very much,” the femme agreed, relieved more than she thought she would be.

Sideswipe stepped away from the wall, his own senses blaring a warning to ward the two away from that path. “I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, if Ratch' kicked you out, it's probably for a good reason.”

“All the more reason why I should be there,” the femme shot back darkly.

“We need to make sure he's okay,” the young woman argued. “For our own sanity...and because that's what friends do. They check to make sure you're okay.”

Sideswipe hesitated for a moment before smiling softly. “Watch for wrenches.”

“He couldn't hit a lady!” Charlie grinned back defiantly before a touch of uncertainty came over her. “Would he?”

At that Sideswipe laughed. “Oh, there is no gender when it comes to stepping over the line with Ratchet.”

The redhead laughed. “Alrighty then, warning noted.”

Illusory offered to carry the metal sheets as they crossed back to Charlie's temporary room. The woman was more than accepting of the offer, yet her own pace was rather slow, not that she was aware of it.

Illusory matched her pace as best she could, noting the slower than normal speed. “Is there something bothering you?”

“I...worry really easy,” she answered. “I'm trying not too. I mean, you've got more reason to be and it's not fair of me to make it worse.”

“I am sorry. I should not have shared my own uncertainties with you...but I cannot claim that I am not worried as well.” She thought back to that moment when she came online to realize Scatterblade was also online. “He just did not seem himself, though that is probably just because of what he went through. I am likely making more problems in my processor than there really are.”

Charlie sighed. “Yeah, same here.”

Once they reached the building that housed Charlie's room, Illusory activated her holoform once more and took up the sheets of metal in her human hands. They made their way to the room easily enough and Charlie opened the door for Illusory.

“Now we find some supplies,” she said. It didn't take long for Charlie to find what she wanted around the human sector; some magazines, scissors, tape, paint, and newspapers. “I was thinking of doing a collage.”

“What is that?” The femme asked as she helped stack things in neat piles.

“it's a big collection of things, colors, pictures, and words that describe you,” Charlie explained. “They don't particularly have to be in any order. They can be as messy as you want. I always thought of it as a really good representation of how my thinking works; all scattered about.”

“That sounds...” her face scrunched in an odd way while she thought. “That actually sounds like a worthwhile project,” she stated finally.

“Do you want to do one for yourself? Or would you like to help me with mine?” Charlie began flipping through a magazine for pictures.

“I will help you,” she stated as she began to look through another magazine.

Charlie gave her some instructions on what to look for and some basic guidelines to help her find the things she liked. Illusory did as she was instructed easily, though she also picked out things that she found interesting or attractive that she thought might go with the things she was choosing for Charlie. A lot of scenery and whimsical images started to collect in a small pile near her.

Charlie approved of the additions quite happily and set about cutting out letters and words to create phrases she liked to go along with the pictures they were creating.

The femme watched with great interest as Charlie assembled the images and words. It was amazing how such nonsense made such...well...sense! If this was what it was like to look into Charlie's thoughts, then she could look all orn and never grow tired of it. “This is really amazing.”

The redhead beamed. “Thanks!” She paused looking over the collage she had been creating. It needed something else, but she couldn't decide on what. “I think I'll wait to finish it,” she finally said, pushing it to the side.

Illusory nodded, waiting to see if Charlie would start another or not. After a short time of waiting, she chose to make an offer of her own. “Should we check on Scatterblade?” She had nearly forgotten her anxiety over the mech during their little project, but now it had come back in full force and it was all she could do to wait for a response from her friend.

Charlie took a deep breath and let it out as a gust of air. “Yeah, we should.” She tried to keep her own uncertainties from getting the better of her. What would they see when they got there? She had no idea if Scatterblade had been changed physically or not. As a matter of fact, she had no idea what to expect at all.

Illusory did her best not to rush, her eagerness shining through clearly right up until they were standing outside of the med bay. Suddenly she was more afraid than concerned. She approached cautiously, waiting to hear if Ratchet was there and busy or if the coast was clear.

Charlie looked up at the femme, feeling her nervousness, but offered a nod of encouragement. She moved to look beyond the doors first. She waved the femme in after her and moved on into the med bay.

When she didn't immediately see the medic, Illusory walked deeper into the building, Charlie staying close to her and the wall. She didn't want to be caught underfoot for any reason.

The femme found the room she sought soon enough and looked in on the recharging mech. “Scatterblade?” She called softly, not really wanting to wake him, but desperately needing him to answer her. She paused when he didn't answer, scolding herself to allow him to rest. After all, he had just been through a lot and it was hardly fair of her to demand his attention just for her own peace of processor. With a soft vent, she turned away. Maybe she should get some recharge too, Ratchet had demanded as much of her anyway. “He is recharging,” she explained to Charlie quietly, ushering her back the way they had come.

Scatterblade's audio twitched and he flung himself up, his swords ejected and ready for battle. Two things registered to him at the same time; one, the 'threat' he sensed was nothing more than a femme and a small creature. The second was that he recognized the femme. “Sorry,” he mumbled, quickly sheathing the swords and pressing a hand to his aching head. Why did that femme make his processor ache so much?

Illusory was trapped between shock and fear at the mech's unexpected reaction. She had instinctively shielded Charlie, but her own spark pulsed hard in its casing. “I-I did not mean to disturb you...” she wasn't sure if they should leave or stay now that he was online.

“It's okay,” the mech said dismissively, settling himself back on the berth he had just been recharging on. “I just...I've been better,” he chuckled emptily. “Sorry I scared you.”

“You are still not feeling well?" Illusory eased up a little, her frame still holding a bit of tension as she studied the mech. “What did Ratchet say?”

He looked back up at the two, studying the femme some more, frustrated that he could feel the familiarity but could not place her for anything. “I guess I'm still...tired,” he explained lamely.

“Right,” the femme relaxed fully. That made sense. How could he not be exhausted? “We should let you recharge. We just wanted to check up on you, to make sure you were alright.”

Scatterblade nodded, acknowledging her concern, his optics still fixed on the femme. “Thanks” He gave a polite grin down to the creature beside her, catching that 'we' had included the small being. However, actually looking at it he flinched in surprise. “What the frag is that?” He stared at the red haired creature with open curiosity.

“'Blade?” Charlie cocked her head slightly. That was an odd reaction. “That's a little rude, don't you think?” She tried to sound humored by his words, but a sick feeling was quickly seeping into her guts.

The curiosity didn't leave the mech's optics; on the contrary, it deepened and a touch of suspicion started to creep in. “How do you know my designation?”

“Scatterblade,” Illusory spoke with confusion and caution, not understanding what was going on. “She is the reason we came here, remember? Her arm?”

The mech's confusion was quickly laid upon the femme. “We?” He asked cautiously. Apparently he was supposed to know her in more than just passing...this wasn't good.

“Y-yes.” A whole new type of fear consumed Illusory. “You and I have been working together for a while now...” her spark twisted inside of her as she seemed to put things together. The way Ratchet had acted, Scatterblade's odd reaction to her before...now this. “You do not remember,” she stated flatly.

A sad look came over the mech's face and he shook his head minutely. It hurt, somewhere inside, to hear her say those words, but it was true. He didn't remember her, or the creature standing beside her. “The last thing I remember is trying to rendezvous with my team.” He tried desperately to find something more, anything at all that might stop that growing look of dread on her face. He truly felt he needed to, much more than remembering all the details of anything else, he needed to remember her. He felt that if he could just place her, he wouldn't worry about the rest, everything would be okay then.

“Your...team...” she remembered the dark looks on the mech's face when talking about his team, about what happened afterward and the fact that quite a bit of time had passed since then. “Maybe it is better you do not remember,” she said sorrowfully.

“You really don't remember?” Charlie's face was trapped in a deep sorrowful grimace. The notion took some time to sink in, but once it had, she glanced up to Illusory. What must she be feeling right that moment? The two of them had come so far...and now? Now they had to start over.

The femme wavered between leaving and staying. She _wanted_ to stay; however, she also felt out of sorts and uncomfortable with the revelation of Scatterblade's missing memory. Finally the discomfort won over; she just didn't know what to do for him right now and if she remained she was going to break down into an emotional mess. “I am going to find Ratchet,” she stated as she turned to leave.

“But,” Charlie started to protest. Shouldn't they stay and try to help him remember something? Wasn't that what you were supposed to do with amnesia patients? Then again, they were alien robots, maybe it didn't work that way. “Yeah, let's go see Ratchet.” She spun on her heal and marched out of the room, intent on finding the medic.

Scatterblade couldn't help the smile that grabbed him at the small creature's action. “She's got spunk,” he noted out loud.

Illusory paused at the door, keeping one optic on where Charlie was going, and glanced back at the mech. “She has more than spunk,” she smiled, though it never reached her optics. “Little human has more fire in her than...well, most 'bots I know.” With a small wave, she left the mech in search of the CMO. She needed answers and she needed them now. Luckily for the pair seeking the medic, he had not been too far. In fact, he was waiting for them.

“I suppose you've figured out he is missing parts of his memory,” Ratchet jumped right in, knowing that was the case. “Before you ask, no, I'm not sure if it is permanent, and no, I don't know what to do about it just yet. I'm working on it and so is Wheeljack. It seems that the pretender actually attached itself to his memory banks so when they were separated it took them with it...or, that is the assumption at this point in time.”

Illusory sputtered on her unasked questions, taking a few minutes to take in what the medic was saying and applying it to what she knew and what she wanted to know. Her spark simply sank to the bottom of her tanks and stewed in unstable energon; at least, that was how it felt. She wanted to purge, badly.

“But, you're going to, right?” Charlie stated in all firmness, needing a positive answer. “You will figure this out.”

“I hope to be able to, yes, but I can make no promises at this point.” The medic had a rather stern look on his face, but he spared both beings before him an apologetic glance. “If the pretender's memory banks were damaged during the separation, there will be nothing I can do unless the memories are stored in Scatterblade's processor somewhere. It is an unfortunate situation, I give you that; however, given other options, this is not the worst it could have been.”

Charlie nodded and sighed. Her confidence was leaking away like air from a tire. She had hoped the aggressive mech would offer them some hope to cling to, something that would keep them positive in this time of darkness. “So, what do we do? What can we do so we don't get even more...out of sorts than we already are? Do we try...to...I don't know, jog his memory? Will that even work?”

“You can try that,” the medic nodded, “but I don't want to give you any false hopes. If the memories have been removed with the pretender coding, no amount of 'jogging' is going to return them. However, he could use friends and that will never go away.”

Illusory nodded weakly. As much as she wanted to hope for the best, she had learned long ago that more than likely it would be the worst. What if the memories were really gone and Scatterblade didn't come to like her as he had before? After all, he wasn't stranded in a forest with damaged communications systems, needing someone to help him...he didn't need her and he had other options for companionship here.

Charlie forced a smile, seeing the darkness consuming her friend. “Okay, then. We'll do that, right?” She looked to Illusory, her expression demanding a positive answer from the femme. “Because that's what friends do.”

“O-of course,” the femme agreed softly. “As long as we can help.”

It was a start, not really the answer she wanted but it was better than a refusal to even try. Charlie nodded and immediately started thinking of ways to distract the femme for the time being.

Ratchet felt bad for the femme; she was obviously taking this news very hard, but there was nothing he could do to make it any easier. “If you need anything,” he offered, “you know where to find me.”

“Yes,” Illusory agreed as she turned away. Now what was she supposed to do?

Charlie rambled off suggestions softly as she walked beside the femme, hoping to give her something to think about other than Scatterblade even if it was just for a moment.

“It is alright, Charlie,” Illusory assured the woman after a few minutes. “I am saddened, but I understand what happened.” She smiled, though it only touched her lips and never went any further. “Whatever you would like to do is fine by me. We can come back and visit later, after he has had time to fully recharge.”

The redhead sighed in defeat, but accepted that Illusory seemed to be coming to terms. “We could work more on the collage?”

“Sure, that sounds like a fantastic idea.”

The pair returned to Charlie's new room and set to work without much spoken between them. Illusory did her best not to think of Scatterblade as they created new images, but it was difficult. She lost herself in the pictures and the story behind them, soon enough finding it to be very relaxing.

 

XXX

 

When Ratchet came to check on Scatterblade, he wasn't surprised to find the mech still online, though he had hoped the mech would have gotten more recharge to aid his recovering systems. “How are you feeling?”

Scatterblade wearily shoved himself into a sitting position, the movement made his head ache horribly and he groaned. “I've been better,” he grunted irritably.

“I'm sure,” the medic stated as he scanned the front-liner. “You probably still have quite a bit of discomfort from the coding separation, not to mention everything that still needs to be finished. I expect that overall it will go away in the next orn or so, but if it persists let me know. There is a chance that more was damaged than what we caught.”

The mech nodded, though felt entirely unsure. All of this still didn't make sense and while he knew he should trust the older mech – he had heard of the CMO's reputation after all and it had been rather miraculous to say the least – he still found everything to be so very strange. Oddly familiar, but still strange. He forced himself to relax as much as he could, knowing the tension he was holding wasn't going to stop the ache in his processor.

“You are still having trouble remembering?” Ratchet didn't have to ask to know, but he needed to get as much information as he could, so he asked the basics anyway. “How you got here? What happened to you before you came here? Where you are?”

Scatterblade laughed a little sardonically. “I was hoping you might tell me.”

Ratchet vented softly. “I'm not going to tell you everything because I'm still hoping that your memory files are there but locked away somewhere.

“You're at the Nevadan Autobot-Human base on Earth. We were able to establish a working treaty with the inhabitants here and we help their military protect their planet against Decepticons, as well as offer minor advances to their kind.”

A look of surprise overcame the front-liner. “Wow! You were all able to rendezvous with everyone? Who's all here?”

“Not everyone,” Ratchet affirmed sternly. There were still large numbers of their faction that were missing. “Currently on base are Optimus Prime and most of his command team, myself included, several special ops, and a handful of enlisted, plus Illusory; a contracted Neutral.” Ratchet paused to give Scatterblade some time to let that sink in.

“Wow,” he vented silently. “This...feels like it should be familiar,” he shrugged, “but I'm just not pulling the files.”

“Well, familiarity is a good sign. That means you have some kind of recollection of it all – even if you do not recall the exact event.”

“Okay.” He still didn't feel very sure about it, but he was willing to believe the medic.

“If you feel rested enough, I would like you to get out and walk around for a while, see if anything might trigger some memory. Don't over do it though, you should refuel and recharge as much as you can to help your recovery. Return here when you are done and I'll get started on some of the other repairs.”

The mech nodded, more than willing to get out of the med bay for a while. He hopped off the berth and glanced back to the medic to make sure he was heading in the right direction.

Ratchet gave a slight gesture to head the mech towards the exit, then headed back to his office to write his report.

 

XXX

 

Wheeljack worked solemnly in his lab. His processor going over what had happened with Scatterblade and the pretender. If Scatterblade had agreed to what Wheeljack had asked him to do...they might have lost him. How had he not realized the little Decepticon created piece of machinery would try to do something so underhanded? He knew better, yet he had allowed his spark to take the lead and he had been duped again.

Hearing a strange nose, one that he thought sounded like a system starting up, Wheeljack started to search for what was booting, unaware of the pretender beginning to twitch where it had laid motionless since the fiasco.

“Oh, my head...” it groaned, looking around the room in complete confusion.

Hearing the voice brought Wheeljack's attention to the pretender in its container and he stared in astonishment. “You shouldn't be functional...”

The pretender finally spotted Wheeljack and the confusion was replaced by sudden shock and fear. “Oh, slag! How did you...” it looked down at itself with even more fear, “how did I...” its attention went back to the inventor. “Wheeljack, what happened?”

Put back by the completely unexpected response, Wheeljack tried to figure out what was going on. “You were separated from Scatterblade...” he said slowly, cautiously. Surely this was another trap.

The fear switched right back to confusion and it shook its head. “I...I'm-I'm Scatterblade.”

Shock and dread washed over Wheeljack. “No, ya can't be. Scatterblade's in the med bay.”

“What?! But...” the dread was contagious and it was clear that the pretender was struggling with itself to make sense. “I'm in the pretender...” it murmured as it seemed to click in its processor. “Slag,” the pretender rubbed at its head as though its processor was starting to glitch. “This ain't good.”

::Ratch, we...uh...have uh problem.::

::No. No more problems, Wheeljack. I've had enough.::

::Well, fraid ta say ya got one more. Th' pretender just said _he's_ Scatterblade.::

There was silence over the comm for a breem. ::It could be faking.::

::Could be tellin' th' truth.::

::Bring it to me. We have to figure this out.::

With a nod, Wheeljack opened the container and reached for the pretender within. “We're just gunna go see Ratch'. Maybe we can get this figured out.”

Ratchet was convinced that the pretender was still up to no good. Still...what if... ::Scatterblade, I need you to return to the med bay.::

Scatterblade vented to himself, but obeyed and headed back to the building he had left not so very long ago. ::On my way.::

When Wheeljack entered the med bay, he found Ratchet already waiting for them. The medic scanned the pretender before the inventor could set him down.

“So you believe you are Scatterblade?” The CMO asked flatly. It wasn't accusing or disbelieving, simply stating fact.

The pretender nodded. “Yes.”

“What is the last thing you recall?”

It thought back, focusing on everything just before it all had blacked out. “Being on the berth right before you started separating us. It started to hurt, then I...I thought I saw Wheeljack for a klik...and then there was Lu...”

Just then, Scatterblade walked in. The pretender looked up at the mech and shook its head to keep from glitching.

“You wanted to see me, Ratchet?” Scatterblade asked, not paying the pretender one bit of attention. It was almost as if the little thing didn't exist at all.

“Well, it seems there's been a little bit more of a complication with your separation than I thought. Scatterblade; meet yourself...apparently.” Ratchet vented. Could things get any more complicated? “He seems to have the memories you're missing,” the medic explained further.

The mech looked down at the human with deep confusion. As if the pretender knew exactly what the mech was thinking, it shrugged. “I'm not human. I...I'm not sure just yet what happened.”

Scatterblade took a deep intake to speak, but let it out in a harsh vent. “This is...weird.”

“You're telling me?” The pretender sighed as well.

“So...now what?” Wheeljack asked at a complete loss for what to do next. “If they're both Scatterblade, what happened ta th' pretender programmin'?

“I have no idea,” Ratchet vented. “That is what we have to figure out.”

“If it helps any,” the pretender offered, “I don't think the programming is...in here anymore.” It gestured to itself dramatically. “The little fragger had no idea what it was getting into,” it shook its head, a mild look of satisfaction on its face.

“Right,” Wheeljack shrugged. “So...is it still in his frame?” He looked to Scatterblade curiously.

“I went through all of his coding, it's not there,” Ratchet assured everyone in the room. “I guess I will go through...” he looked to the pretender, really not knowing what to call it, “your coding and see if it's there.”

The pretender nodded, easily allowing itself to be subjected to the medic's exams.

Scatterblade watched curiously while the pretender tried hard not to look at the mech at all. It was starting to understand as it glanced at...himself...between moments. Even though he thought he was trapped in the pretender, his body and his identity were still in tact. It was the memories of Scatterblade's newest experiences – everything that had occurred since he had picked up that accursed Decepticon prisoner right up until the attempt to separate himself from the thing implanted within him – had been separated and stored within the pretender unit. It wasn't alive. That was the hardest bit to come to terms with. All it had were memories of being a live and a frame that functioned. There was no spark, no life force, no nothing. Just memories. Thinking of it that way made its processor hurt less. The fact that its 'spark' didn't ache with the thoughts only further defined the truth of it all.

As it scanned through the memories, just looking for anything that might be out of place or corrupted by the pretender's last attempts at survival, something occurred to it. “Scatterblade,” it asked awkwardly, “Um...did you get any visitors since you've been back online?”

“Yeah, a femme and a human. Why?” The question seemed unimportant to him, but he didn't see why he couldn't indulge...his memories...he supposed.

Knowing it should feel anxious still brought little reaction from inside. Perhaps that was a mercy given the nature of what was currently spinning through its processor. “Did...she seem okay? The femme?”

Scatterblade shrugged. “I guess.”

“Illusory was distressed,” Ratchet explained quietly. A part of him felt more assured that the misplaced memories had indeed moved to the pretender with every word it spoke. “Charlie seemed to remain hopeful though and she stayed with Illusory. After we get this all straightened out, you will all be happier, I am sure.”

The pretender vented. At least the two of them were together. If anyone could keep Illusory's hopes up it would be Charlie.

“What if...” Wheeljack started, lost in his train of thoughts as he studied the different coding carefully. “What if they just combine again? Think that'd do it, Ratch?”

Ratchet studied the codes, an uneasiness filling him at the idea. “I separated all the combining coding, I'd have to reinstall a lot of it just to make it work again...I don't know how that would turn out with Scatterblade's coding still wrecked as it is.”

“What if you put the pretender back?” The pretender offered. “The components, the physical pieces were always a part of me...er...Scatterblade anyway. What if you just put them back?”

“We could try it, though I must admit that I've never done anything like it. There may be some reisk involved.” The medic was already going over the different components in his processor, figuring the difficulty of the procedure and how the memory files would be transferred from one frame to the other without damaging the files or Scatterblade himself.

The pretender nodded with understanding.

Scatterblade, however, was largely confused. “So, I'm still not entirely sure what's happened and...what to think about all this,” he said gesturing to the pretender supposedly holding his lost memories. “What kind of risk are you talking about and is it really worth it?”

“Well,” Ratchet vented as he waved toward a display where he brought up the pretender's schematics as best they had worked them out. “If everything goes well and there was no damage done when the Decepticons did...whatever they did to make the pretender, then there may be no risk at all. However, I tend to assume that when Decepticons are involved in any way, there is a risk that has yet to be seen. Who knows what damage they've done, what they've altered...it's going to take some careful repairs is all I'm really saying.”

Scatterblade eyed the medic cautiously. “Do I even want to know what you're talking about?”

“Probably not,” the pretender shrugged.

To the pretender's relief, the mech didn't push the question any further. “Let's hope we can get this figured out, eh? I don't like feeling like I'm being left in the dark about my own memories,” he quipped almost solemly to the pretender.

Ratchet and Wheeljack set to the task of determining the best way to proceed, going over both the pretender's mechanics and Scatterblade's frame in great detail. The whole time Ratchet wondered about the morality of what they were discussing. Was it right to force Scatterblade to remember all these things that he had struggled with before? He was perfectly functional without them and it was hardly their right to force them back on him.

“Scatterblade,” he finally addressed the mech, “is this what you really want to do?”

The pretender almost spoke up before realizing that he wasn't the one the medic was speaking to. It looked up at the mech in anticipation. If he said 'no' there would be nothing the pretender could do to change that. It was just memories while Scatterblade was a living 'bot. Ratchet would respect his wishes over anything else.

Scatterblade immediately looked to the pretender, searching for some answer he knew he wasn't going to find there. _Did_ he really want to do this? He vented softly. “I don't know what's happened between then and now, though I'm gathering it wasn't good and I probably don't really want to remember all that,” he grimaced, “but I don't want to forget either.” He focused on the pretender, sure that some answers could be found that might bolster his decision. “That femme you're so concerned about; who is she?”

The pretender sighed brokenly, thinking of the femme and how all of this must have hurt her. “Illusory. She's...more important to me than I can ever say.”

The mech studied the thing that held his memories, its face running the gauntlet of emotions at just the mention of the femme. Then he nodded, suddenly very sure. “Yes. I need those memories back.”

Wheeljack seemed torn about some thought in his processor. “Should we tell her? Them? Th' femmes, Ah mean. Think they should know what's goin' on?”

Ratchet paused in his work to think on it. Illusory had seemed to take the realization of Scatterblade's lost memory pretty hard. Would it be kinder to tell her the truth now when there was still a chance things might go wrong and take the chance that she would have to suffer it all over again? Or would it be kinder to just let her know things were alright afterwords? “Let's decide exactly what we are doing before we go getting other's opes up,” he said finally.

The mech and pretender both nodded at the decision, though the pretender's was halting and a look of deep suffering touched its face plates. It had to stop thinking how Illusory was taking all this or it would work itself into a glitch.

It took Ratchet and Wheeljack joors to come up with a plan of actions; taking moments to consult with both the pretender and Scatterblade, then several more joors to get set up.

When they were finally ready, Ratchet gave the mech and pretender a moment to prepare. “I hope this turns out as well as it can,” he stated, “but I can only predict so much. If you need some time, take it. There is no rush to begin.”

“Yeah,” Wheeljack agreed, though he was looking more to the pretender than to Scatterblade. “Why don't'ca go talk ta 'Lu an' Charlie? Let them know?”

“Yeah,” the mech agreed. “Let's go.”

“Wait! No...” the pretender sighed with defeat. “She'll crush me the klik she sees me.”

“Don't worry,” Scatterblade shook his head, not able to imagine the small femme being so violent. “I'll protect you. We'll explain it to her.”

The pretender was still hesitant, but had little choice as Scatterblade carried him off.

 

XXX

 

Illusory sighed softly as she set the image she had been working on aside. She found that she liked to layer the images together to make one singular image; this one of a young human girl walking through a forest that opened up on a beach with lively green waters and a whimsical likeness of space floating above. She had tucked small flowers and animals into the image in places to add detail to it, but had finally reached a point she was sure she had done all she could.

Charlie had started with a National Geographic panorama of a savannah. For the better part of the day she had been constructing a Pride Rock to put in the background. She glanced over to Illusory's finished project. “That looks great,” she grinned.

“Thank you,” the femme murmured softly, taking a look at what Charlie was creating. “That looks reminiscent of that animated story you showed us a while back. The Lion King, was it not?”

Charlie blushed, but nodded. “Yeah, I'm just finding it hard to find animals for it,” she shrugged.

“Perhaps I can help,” the femme offered, grabbing another magazine and searching for likenesses of the animals she had seen in the movie.

“Thanks.”

 

XXX

 

Both versions of Scatterblade were at a loss as to where the femme and the human had gone to and it took them a while to even narrow the area in which they searched.

“Wait,” the pretender finally said, trying not to sound nervous. “Let her know you're looking for her, it'll be faster.”

The mech nodded, finding that he did have the link to comm the femme. ::Hi, Illusory? I was wondering if I could see you?::

Illusory's holoform glitched for a moment with the surprise of the sudden contact. Outside the building her frame jerked. ::Is something wrong?:: The femme asked nervously. ::I can come right away, are you still in the med bay?::

::No, nothing's wrong,:: he answered, hoping to calm the femme some. ::It's good news, actually.::

Charlie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the femme's reaction. “What's up 'Lu?”

::I'm outside in the human sector,:: Scatterblade continued.

“Scatterblade just contacted me. He asked to see me...” Outside the building she stood and looked for the mech. ::Would you like Charlie to come as well?::

::Yes, it's good for both of you,:: he said happily.

::Then we are on our way.:: Illusory couldn't hide her nervousness. “Come on, he would like to see us both. He is outside.”

When he finally spotted the white armored femme near one of the human barracks, Scatterblade headed toward her, the pretender held comfortably in his hand.

Seeing the small thing, Illusory felt her nervousness turn to sheer panic. She scooped Charlie up the second the human was past the doors of the barracks, holding her close to her chest in attempt to hide the human away from it. “What are you doing with that _thing_?” She demanded with a snarl.

The mech looked confused and out of instinct shielded the pretender from the femme. “It's alright. I figured out where the missing memories were,” he explained confusedly.

It didn't take much for Illusory to figure out what he was implying. “In that thing?” She asked fearfully.

Her tone made Scatterblade frown. “Yes, and we're working on putting them back where they belong. It's good news,” he assured her with confidence.

“Are you sure it is not a trap?” She asked, glaring at the hidden pretender. “Look what it did to you in the first place! All of this...” she stopped, remembering that Scatterblade had no memories of what had happened to him over the past few orns.

The pretender shook its head in despair. “It's not here anymore. Whatever inhabited this...shell, is gone.”

Charlie's hopes rose and she looked up to Illusory to see if the femme was willing to consider this.

The femme was shocked, to say the very least, but trust was not easy to come to her. “Gone? How is it gone?”

“I don't know,” it shook it's head, “I thought at first, I was stuck inside it,” the pretender shuddered, “but this,” he pointed to the mech, “is Scatterblade. I'm just the memories. I'm beginning to think it's what the 'Cons wanted all along.”

Illusory felt suddenly unstable on her feet. She just didn't know what to think of it all. She didn't want to trust the pretender, but she desperately wanted to believe it. “You...” she glanced from the pretender to Scatterblade and back again a few times before she seemed able to speak. “You spoke with Ratchet? Does he...agree?”

The mech reached to steady the femme, his hand gentle yet firm against her arm. “Yes, he said he was going to try. We just left there actually. Wheeljack thought I should let you two know.”

“After it's all done, we can dismantle this fraggin' thing,” the pretender said venting it's frustration.

“And...you remember?” Illusory asked nervously. Despite her fear of the form, she couldn't fight back her hope that this was really the answer and everything would be okay.

It grinned at her. “Yes, I do,” it said with a look of determination on its face. “We'll get this figured out, I promise.”

“When will this happen?”

“As soon as we can,” Scatterblade said. “It'll take a few more orns. Maybe longer, Ratchet wasn't entirely sure, but it'll be worth it.” He glanced down to the pretender and then back to the femme. “It _will_ be worth it,” he repeated with a warm grin.

Illusory made a soft sound; a keen of sorts that was a mixture of joy and desperation. She knew she had cared for Scatterblade, but she hadn't realized just how much she had become attached to him until she thought he was all but lost to her. She needed him to know her, to remember her and their past together however short it was. She even wanted to tell him that, but thought better of it. Now wasn't the time for such confessions. Instead, she vented shakily and nodded. “I hope so.”

The pretender sighed in relief and smiled softly. “We should head back,” it suggested, “see if Ratchet's ready.”

“Good luck 'Blade,” Charlie waved, tears pricked at her eyes with relief. Illusory's reactions stirred even deeper emotions. It was good to see hope in the femme.

Illusory couldn't say anything as she watched them go. She was excited and afraid. “What if it is just another trap?” She asked Charlie once the mech and the pretender were long gone. “What if the pretender is just...pretending?”

Charlie looked up at the femme with a smile. “That wasn't the pretender,” she said firmly. “I know it.”

“How?” The femme studied the human. Her scans couldn't tell her that it wasn't the pretender. They couldn't assure her there was no foul play at hand. She could only hear the voice and the emotion put into it and hope that it was not faked.

“I just...feel it,” she shrugged. “I'm putting my faith in it.”

“I hope your faith is correct,” Illusory vented softly. “I so badly want it to be true.”

“We'll see it come true,” Charlie promised.

The femme bent to allow the human from her protective grip.

Charlie stepped down but kept a hand on the femme's. “It'll be alright,” she affirmed one last time.

Illusory vented and smiled as best she could. “You will have to forgive my pessimism; it has been practically built into my coding, but I will do my best to believe it will all turn out well.”

The redhead smiled. “Good. So, should we get back to the collages?

“Yes,” the femme nodded, regenerating her holoform and standing beside Charlie.

 


	26. Event Twenty Six

Event Twenty-Six

~

_The end of something is merely an illusion scattering across the beginning of what is new._

~

When Scatterblade and the pretender returned to the med bay, the pretender didn't appear as down anymore. It was eager to get started.

Ratchet considered the mech and the pretender when they returned, the fact that the pretender seemed a little more upbeat eased his spark a little. Hopefully everything went well and all of this would be behind them all soon. “Ready?”

With a nod, Ratchet led the way ust as before.

Wheeljack took the pretender so Scatterblade could get comfortable on the berth. “This won't take too long,” he promised.

“Don't lie,” Ratchet grouched as he started setting things where he wanted them. “At best we will be done before the end of the orn.”

“Just tryin' ta lighten th' mood a bit,” Wheeljack protested.

“I'll be fine,” the mech smirked, “if it takes long, it takes long,” he shrugged.

The pretender laughed. “Yeah, it'll take long.”

As expected, the process took the better part of an orn and then some. Ratchet worked tirelessly with Wheeljack right beside him the whole time.

Illusory tried to stay away, but she simply couldn't stand the waiting and would go check up on things from time to time. Jolt was always there to keep her updated, but would never let her past the entry way of the med bay. He told her she had no reason to be there and that she would be contacted if there was any need to. It was the only kindness he could give her; no one truly knew how things were going and they wouldn't until Scatterblade came out of stasis and was back online.

When Ratchet was done, he and Wheeljack dragged their weary frames from the med bay only to be greeted by an overly anxious femme.

Charlie had been Illusory's shadow, the femme's nervousness wearing on her and raising her own anxiety. She looked up at them expectantly after being roused from an unexpected nap.

Illusory clung to the human, her constant presence had become her sanity and she had come to need Charlie there.

Ratchet looked over the pair; the human looking slightly bedraggled, but otherwise healthy and eager. Illusory was the very image of under-charged and high strung, but didn't seem unhealthy either. “We just need him to come back online. I took him out of stasis a few breems ago, so it shouldn't be long. I feel very confident everything went well and with a little recovery time, he should be just fine.”

“Can we go in?” Illusory asked hopefully.

“If you promise not to disturb him until he comes online on his own, yes.”

Illusory didn't even speak her agreement as she rushed past the two weary 'bots in front of them. Charlie hung on tight to the femme as she hurried into the room. Her eyes locked on the black mech's still form the instant she could see him.

Illusory stood there, just inside the room Scatterblade had been put in. She wanted to rush in and wake him, but Ratchet had said not to. She wanted to tell him she was happy he was alright, but he was such a light recharger that she knew that would wake him too. So, she was stuck with taking slow, careful steps into the room until she stood beside the still frame. Fresh marks showed where Ratchet and Wheeljack had made some alterations to accommodate the procedure, but a little paint and buffing and those marks would be all but invisible again.

Charlie glanced several times between the two 'bots. She wanted to reach out to touch him, to make sure he was still there. Some part of her felt like she was still dreaming, that maybe this wasn't true, but it was. It had to be.

Being as careful as she could, Illusory slid onto the berth beside him, sitting so she could watch him. She set Charlie beside her, making sure the human was in a safe place, then just waited.

Charlie had fallen back to sleep leaning against the femme waiting for the mech to stir. Scatterblade's optics didn't online at first. He felt like he was out of focus, that the world wasn't real around him. When the swaying settled, his optics flared to life.

“Welcome back to the world of the functioning,” Illusory offered quietly, not wanting to disturb Charlie or to startle Scatterblade.

The mech turned his head to the femme, a grin graced his face plates. “Lu.” The sound was of pure relief and exhaustion.

Illusory could barely contain herself, a smile breaking across her face with joy and relief. “Thank Primus for small favors,” she breathed as she squirmed around to hug the mech while not crushing Charlie.

The movement roused the human. She squealed when she spotted the light in the mech's optics. “'Blade!” She jumped as his face to hug him.

The mech laughed. “Hi, Charlie. I...um...can't really see.”

“Sorry,” she laughed pulling away and wiping overjoyed tears from her eyes. “You remember!”

“Yeah,” he laughed, relief filling his voice. “I remember.”

Illusory laughed, almost sobbing with relief. “Ah was so scared! Ah thought ya were gone from me...” she pressed her face into his chestplates. “Worse than that...ya were still there but...Ah'm so happy yer back.”

He wrapped his arms around her, sobs of his own threatened to surface. “I'm so glad it worked. I missed you,” he held her, bending his head to hers, “I missed you so much.” He vented deeply. “I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Not again.”

“Promise?” She didn't even know why she asked the question; it was impossible to make such promises in the midst of a war, but she needed to hear it anyway. Her spark needed to hear it.

Scatterblade chuckled to hide a sudden sob that overwhelmed him. “Yeah, I promise.”

Venting as quietly as she could, Illusory raised her head to look at Scatterblade. There was a touch of fear in her optics, but not that he didn't mean what he said, instead of the knowledge that the war could break that promise at any given moment. However, greater than that, there was happiness, relief, and need. “I believe you.”

He smiled tenderly, that need reflected right back to her. “I'm so glad,” he chuckled, teasing her lightly. “It's about time.”

“Haha...” the femme mock laughed. “Don't think this means Ah'm gonna go around trustin' everyone, yer special.”

Scatterblade's grin grew. “I know, I know.”

“And this is the part where you say, 'You're special too,'” Charlie teased, the biggest grin yet nearly splitting her face.

Illusory laughed again, feeling so much relief in the laughter that she was nearly overcharged with it. “How are you feeling?” She asked finally once she was able to calm herself.

“I'm tired,” he vented, his smile still firmly in place, “but otherwise, fantastic.” He beamed at the two femmes watching him. It was so good to remember.

“Good!” Illusory pulled herself up, starting to slide off the berth. “We should let you rest, Ratchet will have my plating if he thinks we disturbed you.” She lingered, obviously not wanting to leave, but comfortable knowing that Scatterblade was once again the mech she knew, the mech that knew her, and was able to relax at last.

Scatterblade reached for her hand, stopping her from leaving him. “I'll pretend to be recharging,” he offered with a sly grin.

Illusory smiled and slid back onto the berth beside the mech, more than willing to remain beside him. “I think that will work,” she agreed.

“Should I give you guys a moment?” Charlie teased, nibbling on her tongue. She wanted so badly for them to just admit their feelings for each other already, but she knew she had to let them come to it on their own.

Illusory laughed again. “I do not think that is necessary, unless you wish to go.”

Charlie shook her head. “I'm good. No complaining here.”

Making herself comfortable, Illusory rested so that one hand stayed with Scatterblade's, the other tracing the lines in his armor absently. She talked of everything that had been going on around the base that she had seen, but avoided anything that involved just how out of sorts she had been over Scatterblade's whole ordeal.

The mech let his optics go offline as he listened to her, immensely enjoying her presence there. He had been so scared before, he truly thought he had lost his chance to be with her. When he would find himself drifting he would make a conscious effort to focus on her voice.

The longer Illusory rambled on, the more relaxed she became and all the lack of proper recharge caught up with her. Before long she was resting against Scatterblade, sound in her own light recharge cycle.

Charlie found herself drifting in and out of sleep, the femme's voice was amazingly soothing. When she realized that Illusory had stopped talking she raised her head and grinned at the sight. Both 'bots were recharging and it took all of the redhead's control not to squeal with delight. They were simply adorable.

Ratchet entered the room quietly. Looking over the two recharging 'bots he vented with his own relief. Spotting Charlie he approached and retrieved her from between the two frames gently. Taking her from the room before he said anything, the medic made sure to scan all three beings currently under his care – whether they knew it or not – and found them all to be in good condition. “How long did they talk?”

Charlie shrugged rubbing her eyes. “I'm not sure. Maybe a good hour...longer...I fell asleep at some point.”

“I take it all went well then? He remembers?”

“Yup,” she beamed. “He remembers everything.”

“Excellent, that is far better than what I could have hoped for.” With a large smile, and an excited rev of his engines, Ratchet set the woman on the floor. “You should go rest and relax properly. Now that all is said and done, you will be returning home soon. You should be in your best condition for the trip.”

Charlie nodded, not really registering what he said. Then it clicked in her head and she frowned slightly. “Okay, yeah,” she sighed finally remembering. “Home...”

“Do you not wish to return home?”

“Of course I do. It's just...everything that's happened...I can never really have a normal life. Not that I'm complaining! I wouldn't change a thing. Just don't expect me to try to forget,” she grinned.

“That is not something I could ever ask anyone to do. Though I wish you didn't have the bad memories to carry around with you.”

Charlie shrugged, rubbing her upper arm. “It's not fantastic, but...I still wouldn't trade them.”

“That's good to hear,” the medic nodded. “Go, rest. Scatterblade should be up and around before too long, assuming he uses this time to recharge.”

She nodded twisting her two fingers. “Got 'em crossed. See you around,” she said heading to her room.

“Hey, Charlie!” A familiar voice called as Charlie crossed the court yard toward her barracks. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Tibs trotted in her direction, several books tucked under his arm and a bag slung over his shoulder.

Her face lit up as she spotted the man. “Yeah, what's up?”

“Well, seeings how your prosthetic has been such a success, several of the scientists on sight – myself included – were wanting to do a more long term study...” he cleared his throat before asking what he intended. “The thing is that you're the first recipient and would be the best candidate for a long term study...would you be interested?”

Charlie's brow furrowed slightly. “What entails 'long term'?”

“Oh, nothing that would really interrupt your normal life; just a daily functions report, weekly checkup to see what normal wear and tear will do to the equipment, satisfaction reports...okay, when I say it out loud it sounds like a lot, but it's really not I promise!” He scratched the back of his head. “I mean, the daily stuff would be transmitted through a micro reader direct from the equipment to a recorder...”

Charlie chuckled at the long description. “Yeah. Okay. So I could still be at home and help with it?”

“Yeah! Of course! We want you to return to a normal life – well, as normal as possible of course – and let us see how the equipment holds up.”

“Yeah,” Charlie nodded, “yeah, I can do that.”

“Good!” He patted her firmly on the shoulder before turning to run back to the science wing of the base. “I'll get the transmitter ready for you!”

The woman shook her head giggling at the geek side that had shown through like a neon sign.

 

XXX

 

Two days passed before Ratchet cleared Scatterblade to leave the med bay and released him to resume duty. With a final check up on Illusory and Charlie; he gave the group the go ahead to return Charlie home. “Do not forget to check in regularly,” he demanded sternly.

Illusory simply nodded, not willing to verbally commit to anything of the sort.

Scatterblade nodded, noting the look on Illusory's face. “Will do, Ratchet.”

As they prepared to depart, the rumbling of a heavy vehicle drew everyone's attention. The large, white semi-truck hauling a rather sleek looking trailer pulled up to where they intended to leave from, Tibs hanging out of the passenger side window waving like a complete moron. “Ready?” He asked cheerfully.

Charlie glanced at her two companions. “You're coming too?” She asked trying not to laugh at how silly he looked.

“Of course, how else did you expect us to conduct proper research?”

Charlie shrugged to her friends. “That'll be interesting to explain to Mom and Dad,” she chuckled.

“But I thought you couldn't tell,” Scatterblade asked confused.

“I know,” she assured him, “it's just going to be a creative answer.”

“Oh, don't worry! We're set up with the local university. You won't have to tell them anything if you don't want to, but I suggest mentioning that you are involved in a research project.”

Charlie nodded with a smile. “Alrighty then.” She crawled into the cab of the semi.

The inside of the truck was anything but standard. The sleeper section had been renovated into some mix of a mobile communications center and a mad-scientist's kitchen. The entire dash was lit with a giant computer who's readouts lay over the windshield.

“Welcome aboard!” Tibs greeted as he moved further into the comm center/kitchen area and made himself comfortable.

“Holly CIA!” Charlie quipped with a laugh. “What's all this for?”

“What? Work with alien robots, you get a few perks.” The man smiled largely, obviously thrilled with Charlie's reaction. “Top of the line research equipment and it all fits right here,” he waved his hand around the cab as if to display it.

“Dare I ask if there's more in the back?”

“Well, when we get there...I'll give you a tour if you like.”

“Yeah,” Charlie smiled. “Let's get going. I'm eager to be home.”

“You heard the girl!” Tibs yelled loud enough that those outside could hear him. The driver of the semi, a small, unobtrusive man with dark hair, eyes and skin, kicked the rig into gear and pointed it down the road.

Illusory was shocked by the appearance of the large vehicle and glanced around to see if there were any others that would be 'tagging along'. When no other seemed to make a move, the femme shifted into her alt mode and raced to catch up to, then pass the rig. Scatterblade quick to follow.

“I do not know whether to be amused,” the femme spoke softly to the mech, “Or annoyed that this assignment detail seems to be growing.”

The mech chuckled. “Let's reserve judgment for now. I'm kinda excited.”

“How so?” The femme slowed her pace to be sure she remained within sight of the truck; Charlie was inside it after all.

“It's nice having Charlie to talk to but it'll be fun to have a guy to talk to,” he explained.

“I see...the whole mech-bonding thing...” she laughed. “I suppose I understand.”

He laughed with her. “Yeah, I'm also excited to see where Charlie lived,” he added.

“I agree with you there.” The femme's engine revved slightly with excitement. “though I have to admit, a large part of that is my own relief to be away from the base...” she sounded a little ashamed of herself by that, but she was firm in her relief to be away from the steady reminder that there was still a war going on.

The mech understood the feeling of relief, though his was much more for not being so cooped up. “It's good to be moving again. I've spent so much time recharging, I doubt I'll do it for a few orns.”

“I am sure there will be a lot to explore,” the femme noted.

“Oh, yeah. California is a huge state.”

The trip was long; having to pace for the semi dragging their travel out by a good amount, but Illusory eased back and enjoyed the trip. She liked being in motion and she liked having Scatterblade beside her. She wanted it to always be like this.

Scatterblade's thoughts were similar, but he was warring with internal anger. It wasn't for Illusory, never for her, just that he had hurt her. Unintentionally of course, but he still hurt her. He hated that it had happened at all. He promised himself he would never hurt her again. He didn't know if he could handle a next time...or if she would still be there if there was.

When they got close to their destination, Tibs turned to Charlie. “Did you want us to drop you off at your house, or were one of the 'bots going to take you?”

Charlie thought on this for a moment. “I think it'd be best if Lu went with me. Family would like to meet her and not showing up in a giant mobile lab would probably be less traumatic.”

“Alright; we'll stop here at the rest stop and you can hop over. We're going on to the University to get set up. Here,” he scribbled a number on a paper and handed it to Charlie. “If you need anything, get a hold of me. I'll check up on you in a day or so, sound good?”

“Sounds great.” Charlie gathered her things and prepared to leave the cab. When they stopped she hopped down from the cab and waved to Illusory.

The femme opened her door for the girl without even thinking about it. “Where to from here?” she asked pleasantly.

“My house,” she quickly offered directions. “Huh. I haven't been home in so long,” she said distractedly.

“Then let us get you there,” the femme said happily, her engine purring to life again.

Charlie snapped from her revere and nodded excitedly.

It took some time to reach Charlie's home. Illusory found a comfortable place along the curb to park before letting her engine settle.

Charlie stared at the house for a while. She had started to feel anxious. She hadn't called or written to her family since the accident. She had told them about the chance for a prosthetic but further information about being home at a particular time wasn't mentioned. She was worried her family would be angry with her.

Twiddling with her phone she hit speed dial two. The phone rang twice. “Charlie?” Came a surprised and anxious voice.

She was about to answer her little sister but another voice came on the line. “Charlie?”

Her voice tightened and tears stung at her eyes. “Mom. I'm home,” she said her voice quavering. The door flew open and three younger kids and two older ones ran out of the house. Charlie dropped the phone and stumbled out of the car. She barely got three steps before her siblings collided with her. The oldest of the group, a girl about eighteen with reddish blonde hair, hugged her on one side with a bright blonde haired girl around fifteen on the other. The younger three were two boys and a girl. The taller boy was crying very hard while the younger shorter kid was babbling questions. The youngest, a golden haired seven year old, clung to her shirt crying.

Charlie looked up and saw her mom hurrying to her children and her father standing in the yard frozen still as if he were seeing a ghost.

Illusory generated her holoform and stepped out on the drivers side, but went no further. She was more than a little shocked by the number of young humans rushing to Charlie. Their reactions stuck at her spark violently.

Charlie gave each of her siblings her attention until her mother joined the group. All the kids split like the red sea and the red head immediately latched onto her mother. The resemblance between the two was uncanny. Charlie's red hair was only slightly darker than her mother's. Her father had blond hair when he had been young, but had since turned black. The older boy's hair was darkening already and would only continue to do so as he got older.

Charlie just sat there on the grass and clung to her mom. All of the kids had been asking questions up until their mother came between them. Charlie's mom pulled away to look at her oldest. “Let's go inside,” she suggested wiping the tears from her face.

Charlie nodded, then paused after standing. “Mom, Dad, guys. I want you to meet a friend of mine,” she looked back at the femme. “This is Lu. She gave me a ride home. Can she stay with us?”

Both parents looked over the girl and the car she seemed to be hiding behind. A flash of knowing appeared in her father's eyes instantly recognizing the vehicle he had been told about.

Her mother nodded with a huge smile. “Come on inside, Lu.”

Illusory offered an almost shy 'hello' as she joined the family. She cringed under the elder male's look. She could only imagine how Charlie's creators would respond to the knowledge that she was the one to harm their youngling.

Upon Illusory's introduction, the youngest two children ran and hugged her. They jabbered on and seemingly dragged her to the door. The group walked inside and settled down in a large sitting area. Charlie sat down on one of the couches and all four of the younger kids piled on with her. Before she knew it, questions filled the air from all who were with her on the couch. She answered as many as she could until the questions came about the accident.

“Were you scared?” Thirteen year old, Joshua, asked. “When the car hit you guys?”

Charlie sighed. “I don't know. I fell asleep on the way back to Logan.”

The question then turned to Illusory but from the youngest boy, Mark. “Where you scared?”

The blonde sister, Mary, shoved the little boy's arm, an embarrassed look on her face.

Illusory looked over the curious faces, stunned that they were so very interested. “Of course I was scared. Charlie was hurt and I was not sure what to do.”

“I'm glad you could help her,” Joshua said with a grateful smile.

The rest of the kids nodded. Except for the strawberry blonde, Sarah. Her lips had formed a tight line when they had all been reminded of the accident. She didn't look at the femme, though there was an indifference in her posture and gaze.

“Thank you for taking care of her,” their mother, Lisa, said with fresh tears filling her eyes. “Thank you so much!”

Illusory dipped her head slightly in acceptance. “I did what I could, though it was not much. It does not repay the fact that I should have paid more attention. Charlie should not have been hurt at all.” She offered an apologetic look to those around her.

“But what matters is that I am okay,” Charlie said sending Illusory a caring smile.

“I thought you lost your arm?” Mark pointed out, poking Charlie's closest arm.

“I did,” Charlie said, lifting her right arm, “prosthesis are an amazing thing.”

“That's your pretend arm?” The youngest asked.

Charlie nodded with a chuckle.

“But it looks so real,” her father, Travis, commented. “You sure the insurance will cover that?”

“It is fully covered,” Illusory assured them all with confidence. “That was part of the concessions to Charlie...” she paused realizing that maybe Charlie didn't want her family to know that her prosthetic was experimental technology. “It was part of the settlement,” she finished.

All the family was speechless. “That's cool!” Mark gushed. He paused and whispered to Charlie. “What does that mean?”

The redhead giggled. “It means it's free,” she whispered back.

“Cool!” He exclaimed eagerly.

The others laughed at the exchange.

Lisa spoke up, quieting the noise quickly enough. “You guys must be hungry. We've got lunch in the dining room.”

The kids immediately dispersed and Charlie stood to join them. “You hungry?” She asked Illusory, knowing full well what her answer would be.

“No, thank you very much. I should go check up on Sca...uh...Jag. I will return soon.”

Charlie nodded and headed to the kitchen and her family.

Illusory offered a quick good-bye to her hosts before slipping from the house. She allowed her holoform to dissipate the moment she closed the door behind her. Her engine roared to life and she took off, immediately seeking out the front-liner.

 

XXX

 

Scatterblade had been so busy looking at the scenery to notice when they had separated from Illusory and Charlie until Tibs had arrived at the hotel in which the research company would be staying. He let the human know he was going to drive around before he set back out. He made sure his holoform did most of the 'driving' as he drove up and down the hills of the Californian neighborhoods surrounding the area.

There wasn't as much greenery here as there was in Logan, but it had a look all its own and it was just as nice to look at. It was a mixture all its own and a great change of pace from the vast deserts surrounding the base in Nevada and the lush canyon life near Logan. Earth had so much variety, he was sure he would never get used to seeing it.

The mech found himself a nice spot on a hill that overlooked much of the area just to sit low on his tires and relax for a bit. It felt so good to be moving around after being restricted to the base for so long. Still, this feeling, just sitting and watching everyone race by him felt oddly peaceful. So vastly different from the life of fighting, or hiding, or prepping for the next battle that he had lived for so long. It was almost too different. It was...uncomfortable.

An uneasy thought came to him while he sat there looking over life untouched by the war that had ruled his for so long. What if he couldn't adjust to living as a civilian? The entire concept of civilian life seemed silly to even think about, something that was so long ago, so far in the past it wasn't for him to touch any longer, much like his non-existent younglinghood.

His thoughts continued to spiral out of control, leaving him looking blankly out over the landscape instead of actually watching it.

 

XXX

 

When Illusory reached the place she knew the research team was to set up, a rather decent business hotel adjacent to the University sponsoring their stay, she noticed the lack of a certain black Bonneville with great disappointment. She generated her holoform and found Tibs, who was all too wrapped up in his current work to truly register anything around him.

“Mr. Tiegan? Do you know where Scatterblade has gone?”

“He went for a drive...not really...sure...” the man waved in a vague direction he thought he remembered the mech heading off in.

With an annoyed sigh, Illusory dispersed her holoform once more. ::Scatterblade?:: She decided going directly to the source might be more progressive than attempting to search for the mech with no clear information to use.

Scatterblade was rather abruptly pulled from his thought by the comm. His focus snapping back quicker than he thought was possible. ::Lu? What's wrong?::

::Nothing is wrong. I just left Charlie with her family and thought I should come find you. I asked Mr. Tiegan where you were, but he was unhelpful.:: The femme was driving casually through the streets as she spoke with the mech. ::You have been exploring?::

::Yeah, I found a great scenic point above the city. I'll send you the coordinates,:: he offered happily. ::It's pretty secluded,:: he said confidently as he transformed and stretched out a little more comfortably.

::That would be pleasant,:: the femme agreed. Once she had the location she made little time in getting there. Pulling up beside the mech, she transformed to her root mode settled happily. “This is beautiful,” she said softly as she took in the scene.

“It is,” he agreed with a warm smile.

“I met Charlie's family...there are many younglings.” She still couldn't keep the awe from her voice at the number of young humans she had seen that were apparently the offspring of Charlie's creators.

“Yeah? How many?”

“Five,” the femme stated with amazement. “Can you believe that? Five younglings in one family! Well, six counting Charlie.”

“Six?” The mech laughed with amazement. “Oh, Primus. I'd like to see that! I can't believe how humans can do that.”

“It is amazing. I wonder how their creators keep track of them all! Could you imagine trying to chase after six sparklings all at once?”

Scatterblade laughed, shaking his head. “No, but I'm sure it would be a blast!”

“I do not know about that, I think my processor would fry,” the femme laughed at the mere thought of it.

“Probably,” Scatterblade agreed, “but it would be worth it.”

The femme vented softly. “Yeah, Ah suppose it would...”

Scatterblade grinned, glancing at the femme out of the corner of his optics. “Wouldn't it be amazing? To have sparklings again?” He immediately clammed up and stumbled over a hasty amendment. “Not us! I mean...maybe...no! I...that's not what it sounded like! I was just...” he vented, clearly embarrassed.

“It's okay,” the femme purred softly. “Yeah, Ah'd like sparklin's someday...it would be nice ta have lil ones runnin' around again. Things could feel uh little more 'normal'.”

The mech vented shortly in relief. “That would be so amazing,” he nodded.

“An who's ta say it couldn't be us?” The femme teased lightly, her engine revving slightly in challenge.

Scatterblade jumped within himself a little, his spark fluttering almost violently. “Would you...want to?” He asked softly trying to keep his hope from sounding too desperate as he turned to face her.

“Why wouldn't Ah?” Illusory asked timidly, her internal temperature raising several degrees as she came to terms with exactly what she was implying. “Ah...” she backed away from him slightly as she tried to get her thoughts together. “When...when Ah thought ya had forgotten meh...” her whole frame trembled slightly at the memory. “Ah've never been so hurt ta think Ah'd lost someone in my life, an' you weren't even gone! I do not ever want to feel that way again, Scatterblade.” Her thoughts started coming together with her feelings and she suddenly knew what she wanted. “I would, with you. I never want to lose you again, for any reason.”

The mech's optics were wide as he laid his hand on hers, a smile tenderly taking over his features. He cycled air quickly to cool his racing processor and his heated frame. “I won't ever leave you. When I thought I was...stuck in that piece of work,” he huffed dryly at the memory...at _being_ memories, “I thought you'd hate me. I thought I'd lost you too. 'Lu, I love you.”

A rush of excitement thrummed through the femme, freezing her frame for a second before she practically leaped on the mech beside her. “I love you too, 'Blade,” she confessed with every bit of her spark.

Scatterblade caught her in his arms, falling backward onto the ground, laughing and holding her tightly. His spark was singing with a joy he had never known before. That he had never known he _could_ feel, yet he wanted more.

Illusory lay there for a long time, simply enjoying the closeness and the revelation of their feelings toward each other before it all settled in. “Is this...smart?” She asked nervously.

The front-liner thought on her words for a moment. It was the same argument he had held within his own processor time and again. Was it smart? Was it _right_? “No,” he said with confidence, “but we have a chance that no one has had in eons. Do we let this opportunity pass? Do we let this chance of being far away from battle fade away because it's not the smart thing to do?”

She thought on that for a moment; her processor going over the facts – the war was not over, but it was in a lull, would they ever have a better chance? And with Scatterblade assigned to her, she could run as far from the war as she wanted and he was duty bound to follow her; they would both be safe. “No,” she stated firmly. “No, we do not let this chance pass us by. I want to be with you forever, Primus damn the war and everything it has done to us. We can have each other.”

Scatterblade's smile spread wide. “Damn the war,” he agreed enthusiastically, pulling her tight to him again.

Illusory melted into his embrace willingly and easily. Her spark pounding inside its casing as if it would break free on its own.

With an awe and absolutely no understanding as to how, Scatterblade could feel his spark reach out to the one above him and find a near perfect synchronization to it. It was wonderful, it was painful, it was almost everything he wanted. They just had to let go...

“Now?” The femme asked breathlessly, barely keeping control of her frame as her spark demanded it be allowed to find the one it wanted most.

“Now?” The mech returned the question, surprise pulling him from the near blind search for the spark his was calling for.

“When?” Illusory sounded almost desperate as she trembled against him. “If not now, when?”

“Now's good,” he said quickly. “If that's what you want, it's what I want too. You just surprised me,” he rubbed his hands against her too-hot back plates. “You never stop amazing me.”

The femme shivered with eagerness. “Hopefully, Ah never do,” she purred as her chest plates began sliding, exposing her overheated systems and her very life essence.

Scatterblade hardly even noticed as his own frame responded in kind, so absorbed in just looking at that spark – one he hadn't even realized how badly he wanted – and the way it reached to him. “Primus,” he whispered, his hands trembling as he stroked Illusory's sides.

Hardly able to hold herself up Illusory stared down into the spark she was about to make a part of her. She tried to tell herself that she could still change her processor if she wanted to, this didn't have to happen, but the way her spark twisted and stabbed at her for even thinking that reminded her that this wasn't something she was forced to do. She wanted this. She wanted Scatterblade to be hers forever and to be his forever. With that thought clear in her processor she allowed herself to sink into the embrace of the mech holding her and the spark pulling hers in.

The first thing they noticed individually was a sharp spike in heat, their frames reaching a point just below dangerous levels, then there was fire, then a soft warm buzzing, then they no longer knew 'they' and only 'we'. They ceased being Illusory and Scatterblade and became one being that knew everything about both halves no matter how deeply hidden or scarred. There was nothing the being they had become didn't know and understand completely. Entirely accepted, taken in, and made a part of the whole. Voices and memories came together in a loud clash of emotion and longing, love and hope.

_“Ah've never been so hurt ta think Ah'd lost someone in my life, an' you weren't even gone! I do not ever want to feel that way again, Scatterblade.”_

_“I thought you'd hate me. I thought I'd lost you too. 'Lu, I love you.”_

_ “I love you too, 'Blade!” _

_ “Wouldn't it be amazing? To have sparklings again?” _

_ “Why wouldn't Ah?” _

_“Damn the war...”_

_ “Now?” _

_ “Now?” _

_ “If not now, when?” _

_ “Now's good.” _

The being grew, it bloomed and became all consuming. It grew until it had invaded both frames entirely and continued beyond, touching everything within range before snapping back into itself; to themselves. Two sparks pulsing in unison.

Scatterblade lay gazing up at the sky, small clouds drifting across the late day sky casting cooling shadows across their frames. In his spark he sensed Illusory, he could feel her, not just laying on top of him, but in his spark he could _feel_ her. “We...”

Illusory simply lay where she was, optics open, pressed against her mate's frame. _Her mate._ Her processor spinning wildly. They had just...

“Bonded...” Scatterblade continued with great awe. His arms were still wrapped around the warm frame resting atop him. Her engines were running smoothly, quietly, her frame was cooling from their bonding, everything was as it should have been and it felt perfect. Except, she was so quiet. “'Lu?”

“'Blade,” her voice trembled softly, barely a whisper to his audios.

“Are you alright?” Concern thrummed through him and he shifted so he could look at his mate. _His mate_. She looked okay and his spark told him that her spark was okay...a little hyper maybe, but okay.

“'Blade,” she whispered again, “we have...”

He laughed, thinking that his femme was just now booting her processors to the fact that they were forever together. “We've bonded, I'm aware.”

“A newspark,” she continued, her voice still trembling. “We created a newspark.”

Scatterblade's spark stuttered for a klik. “A newspark? How?”

“Listen...” her voice was so soft, like the breeze blowing past them.

He did as he was told and he listened. He listened with his audios and with his spark. He could feel his spark pulsing slightly off kilter now and Illusory's spark thrumming away with excitement...and a third pulse beating out the rhythm of a new life. “We created a newspark!” He laughed in amazed disbelief. “First try and look! We created life!”

Illusory started to laugh, just as much disbelief washing through her as through her mech, and they laughed together until they could laugh no more. Then they lay in silence for a long while after that. The sun had set and the earth below them cooling and still they lay as they had, simply holding, and being, and wanting nothing more than to be where they were that moment.

“I'm tired,” Illusory finally spoke as the moon began its decent.

“Then recharge my love.”

The femme vented a heavy, comfortable exhale before letting her systems start to power down. “We're creators.”

“Yes, we are,” the mech agreed joyfully, his own systems beginning to shut down. “We'll be good creators too.”

“The best,” the femme murmured as exhaustion took over and dragged her deep into recharge, Scatterblade not long behind.

 

 


	27. Event Twenty Seven

Event Twenty-Seven

~

_Scattered among that which are the illusion of 'old' lay the illusions of 'new'._

~

 

The sun peaked over the top of the hill glinting on the armor of the pair of recharging Cybertronians. Scatterblade didn't stir until the light started gathering warmth in his plates. Illusory moaned as warmth crept across hers. She was comfortable, contented, and had no desire to come back online yet.

Scatterblade chuckled at her slight protest. “not planning on getting up either?”

“Never again,” the femme declared happily.

“Never?” He laughed, amused. “What about when Charlie needs us? Or even when...when our little one comes?” A measure of reverence came to him just speaking of the fact they had a newspark.

Illusory's engine rumbled softly at the thought. “Okay, maybe then,” she decided.

Scatterblade vented happily and settled to watching the sun rise. He was in no hurry to move from this place, this bliss. “Charlie'll be happy?”

“Of that I feel certain,” the femme agreed, finally dragging herself up. “After she is done yelling at me. I promised to come check on her after lunch...”

“I have a feeling she'll forgive you pretty fast.”

“One can hope,” Illusory laughed. “I suppose we should head back...” there was obvious reluctance in the femme's tone. “Before they send out a search party.”

“Let them worry just a tad bit longer,” Scatterblade offered, pulling her back to him. “They're probably not even awake yet.”

“Hn,” the femme agreed happily, snuggling up beside the mech and watching as the sun made its climb into the sky.

The morning went by pleasantly, the pair trapped in some hazy half online/half recharge state perfectly content to stay that way for several joors longer just basking in the glow of their new bond and the presence of a newspark. The passage of time was nearly imperceptible to them, only disturbed when Illusory jumped as her comm pinged her of an incoming call.

“Charlie, I am sorry,” she said with honest remorse in her tone, though the heavy layers of contentedness stole the edge of guilt from her voice. “I should have contacted you.”

“Where are you? Are you okay? What happened? Did you find E.T.s?” Charlie's voice dropped to a soft whisper with her last question, fear and anxiety waring with her annoyance that she was once again left unknowing.

“E.T.s?” The femme wondered for a moment. “I am fine. I am with Scatterblade...we sort of lost track of time...”

“Yeah, E.T.'s; that little group of nasties I can't talk about in front of innocent ears!” She huffed over the line dramatically, though knowing that they were both fine and together eased a lot of her disquiet. “I'm glad you two are okay. You just...freaked me out a little when you didn't come back.”

“We will head back shortly. I truly am sorry that I worried you.”

“It's okay,” Charlie sighed. “I guess I'll see you soon.”

“Yes,” the femme agreed before ending the call. “We should go,” she told Scatterblade.

The mech nodded standing and stretching out his kinks, then offered a hand to his mate, a quirky smile plastered onto his face.

Almost as one, they folded into their alt modes and headed for Charlie's family home. Scatterblade took the lead, Illusory happy to just be near the mech – _her mech_ – knowing that he was hers for as long as either of them would live.

Scatterblade had to concentrate really hard to keep on the right road to get them to the right house. His processor spinning wildly and his spark hammering inside him. The entire experience from last night was still fresh and he could barely stay on task. He was trapped between disbelief and blinding joy keeping his focus jumping from place to place against his will.

As soon as they reached Charlie's home, Illusory generated her holoform and climbed out of the driver's side of her alt mode, a contented smile plastered across her face, even in this form. Scatterblade's holoform joined Illusory's a klik later and he quickly took her hand in his as they walked to the house.

Illusory knocked on the door, then leaned against the man beside her to wait for someone to answer. Her spark was still humming with joy.

The two youngest children answered the door, eager looks on their faces. 

“Mom! Charlie! That LuLu lady is at the door!” Siri called over her shoulder.

“And there's an Indian dude with her!” Mark yelled right after her.

Charlie arrived at the door with a look of embarrassment burning across her face. “Hey, guys. I'm so sorry about these two,” she said giving the two children a slightly disapproving glare, though she was unable to keep a smile from her face. “They're so silly.” She shooed the two away before turning back to the pair of aliens at her front door. “So, where have you been?” Charlie wanted to be annoyed with them, but looking at them she immediately noted the lovestruck appearance and could no longer be angry.

Scatterblade's grin exploded into something completely silly and uncontrollable. “Just an over-nighter,” he said using a term the human would likely understand and hopefully leave until everything could be explained.

Charlie's lips turned up in a grin though her eyes still looked a little suspicious. “Uh huh. 'Kay. You guys want to come in?” She waved them through the door, the grin never leaving her face.

“Sure,” the femme agreed easily.

Inside the house was alive with movement and energy. Illusory watched the younger children with fascination, her processor wondering how similar sparklings would be. She had never seen a sparkling and could only just remember being one, though her youth had been heavily altered.

Scatterblade was eager to see the children and found himself slightly taken aback at actually seeing the number of youth within. Charlie started introductions but before the mech could say anything, the youngest two had jumped onto him with welcoming hugs. He laughed, scooping them up easily. Mark yelped at the sudden flight and his grip tightened on the man, while Siri squealed with delight. Concerned that he had frightened the boy, Scatterblade lowered them both to the ground. He hoped he hadn't made a bad impression on the young male and watched him wearily, but as soon as his feet touched the floor Mark's wide toothy smile split his face and he grabbed Scatterblade's hand to show him his toys, instantly yammering on about everything from his parents to what he saw in the back yard the day before.

Charlie laughed at the instant acceptance by her younger siblings. They could care less that they didn't even know this man; they trusted their older sister not to bring anyone dangerous into their house and the man himself was rather friendly. “Man, I have missed them,” she sighed happily. “Come on, Lu. Mom's making her Christmas candies today.” She grabbed Illusory's arm and tugged her along behind her.

The femme followed happily, eager to see some of her friend's traditions. “These candies are only made for this holiday?” She asked curiously looking over the preparations.

There were squares of pink, orange and brown fudges, candy cane rods dipped in chocolate set to cool and sprinkled with peppermint, and sugar cookies waiting to be decorated with milicolored frosting.

“Yeah,” Charlie nodded. “Mom goes a little nuts getting things put together.”

The older redhead was pulling a pot off the stove, her hair frazzled and swept up in a messy tie, her makeup faded, and she looked ragged and tired, but she still smiled happily upon seeing their guest. “Hi, Lu! Nice to see you again. Charlie, could you grab the wax paper and help me with the caramel?”

Illusory nodded kindly at the greeting. “May I be of assistance?” She was fascinated by all the different things laying out.

“You can put one or tow of each of these on the plates,” Lisa said pointing to what she meant.

The femme was more than happy to help and did as she was told, keeping an eye on what the others did. It was all so interesting to her; so much effort put into these confections that really provided no real nutritional value; or if they did it was rather low and often countered by the large amounts of sugar invested in them.

“How many plates are we making this year?” Charlie asked as she moved about her task.

“Fifteen,” her mom replied, pulling out the large mass of caramel and spreading it out on the wax paper. Once the thick substance was spread out evenly and cooled enough, Charlie began to cut it into small squares and wrapping each piece carefully.

Some time later Mark and Siri came rushing into the kitchen towing Scatterblade behind them and quickly joined their older brother Joshua on the other side of the room dipping pretzels into chocolate. Scatterblade picked up quickly enough and joined in the process.

The group worked until the plates were filled. Charlie explained as they worked that her family would deliver the treats to all of their friends from church or other places that they knew needed their spirits lifted a bit.

Scatterblade immediately offered to help, the boys jumped at the opportunity to go with him. Illusory easily offered as well, more than happy to keep assisting her friends family in their tradition. “i would like to see this tradition,” she stated. “We don't have such events where we come from. It would be nice to see the effect.”

“Alright,” Lisa said nodding. “you want to start taking the plates, Charlie?”

“Yeah! Come on, Siri. Mark, Josh, are you coming too?”

The younger kids ran excitedly to the door in answer, Charlie laughed calling them back to remind them to carry plates with them.

Illusory grabbed a few herself and followed the children outside.

Several of the youths piled into Illusory's alt mode, chattering happily about the very sporty looking vehicle.

Mark hesitated, considering the two cars. “How come your boyfriend is-is taking his own car?” 

Charlie looked to Illusory for an answer, not quite sure how to explain that the each needed to take their 'cars' with them. “He likes his car,” she offered with a shrug.

“We sometimes have to go separate ways due to his job; it is simply easier if we are both with a vehicle at all times,” the femme explained. It was true; minus the part that he _was_ the vehicle.

The kids took the answer without argument.

“Can I-can I please ride with him? Please can I ride with...” he paused to whisper at Charlie; “What's his name?”

“Jag,” she stage whispered to him. “You have to ask him.”

“I am sure he would not mind the company,” Illusory agreed with a smile.

Charlie giggled as the ten year old trotted over to the other car. “Mark's gonna drive him nuts.”

“It will be good practice,” the femme assured her friend.

Charlie raised a brow at her friend, a grin starting to pull up at one side of her face. “Practice for what?”

“Oh...the future,” the femme said aloofly, though she could not stop the sly smile that crawled across her face.

Charlie eyed her friend, smile widening at the thoughts her actions were stirring up, but without anything solid to direct her suspicions she remained unsure. Shaking her head and settling in for the drive, Charlie gave her friend the addresses they were to deliver to.

“Do not worry,” the femme instructed, “there is nothing set in titanium per se.” She drove to the address and parked near first the house.

“Titanium?” Charlie giggled. She carried the plate to the house and knocked on the door, Joshua, Mark, and Siri trailing after her.

An older woman answered it. She was short and had curly white hair, her rose colored glasses sat on a crooked nose. Both of the younger kids wrapped her in a hug.

“Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed happily. “Hello, children! I'm so happy to see you!” She looked up at Charlie, squinting her eyes to see better. “Is that Lisa?”

“No, I'm Charlie,” she replied giving the older woman a hug.

“Oh, goodness, you look so grown up! So happy to see you home,” she smiled, a glint of true joy in her eyes.

“We brought you a plate of goodies for you, Sis Webster,” Joshua said, beaming brightly.

“Thank you,” the woman said, taking the offered plate. “Merry Christmas.”

Illusory watched the interaction with fascination. She had seen elderly humans, but had not gotten any opportunity to interact with any of them. She was slightly disturbed at the lowered functionality of the elder human; Cybertronians developed slight glitches or kinks with time, but those could usually be repaired. She realized once more how fragile the human race was; they were not so easily repaired and had to live with their frames as they were, even in degradation of age.

Scatterblade also watched the goings on, confused by the way the woman seemed so happy despite being so wrinkled and hunched over. He looked to Charlie and his frame shuddered involuntarily as he imagined what her future would hold. Their race had so much time, it seemed unfair to have stumbled upon these humans whose lifespans couldn't even equal a tenth of his lifetime. They were barely a breeze in existence by comparison.

Illusory went to her mate feeling that she just needed to be close to him. “This seems unfair,” she said softly to him. “How can they just...accept that?”

The mech sighed, shaking his head. “I have no idea. It just...seems normal for them. I mean, Charlie's not weirded out by it. It's almost like...she doesn't even notice.

“I suppose that is true,” the femme sighed sadly. “It still seems unfair. Maybe...maybe our technology can help them with that too?”

“Maybe,” Scatterblade agreed, but gave a slight shake of his head. “I don't think that would be a good idea though. Even when humans lived much shorter lives some thought themselves to be Gods. It might do more harm than good.”

“I did not think of that...” Illusory sighed. “Still..” she looked over all the people here, all the different ages, and was sad to think that they would all grow old and degraded.

“Yeah, still...” he agreed.

Charlie finished talking with Sis Webster and gathered the kids back to the cars. The next few visits weren't as long. The plates they delivered were for several different kinds of families and individuals. Everything from empty nesters to homes with lots of young children.

Scatterblade had been very uncomfortable when they visited older couples; widows and widowers especially, but it got easier to quietly accept that most were content with their lot in life.

Illusory, however, became a little more disturbed with the widowed humans; the idea that they continued to live after their mates had passed on hurt her spark. It was only a minor comfort to her to see how happy the humans were to see the younger generation and to receive their homemade gifts; but overall she found it all quite depressing. She did her best not to show her discomfort, since the children seemed to be having fun and were in good spirits. She was honestly confused by their ability to simply accept things as they were.

By the time they got to the last place, the kids were short and sweet. Everyone was tired and ready to head home.

Illusory decided that she was undeniably uncomfortable with how the human race aged, but admired them for their ability to deal with it. Scatterblade may have been a little more comfortable with the humans adaptability, but he wasn't sure he really understood it. “How do they do it?” He asked Charlie after the kids ran off to their own activities. “How do those older humans deal with being...old?”

Charlie shrugged. “It's part of life. You're born, you grow up, you grow old, you die.”

“Just like that? You just...accept it like that?” Illusory couldn't keep the disbelief from her voice.

Charlie looked from one human looking face to the other. They were truly alien. “It's hard to accept, especially when you're still young, but that's why I love my religion. We believe death is just a part of life and that it's just a short season. We have a promise we'll live again. In bodies that will be immortal. We won't grow old, we won't feel pain. I guess it's that promise that we will live again that makes it all worth while.”

“Wow,” Sideswipe muttered softly.

Illusory's expression was one of complex confusion as she tried to wrap her processor around the idea. “I suppose that is similar to the Well of Allsparks,” she mused. “Though, there we are not in bodies any longer, just our sparks. All as one.”

“Huh, that's cool,” Charlie offered. It was still strange to completely understand the whole alien thing, but it made her happy to know that beliefs were strong, no matter where they came from. She settled down onto the couch in the front room. Her mom had always reserved this place for guests and kept it very clean despite the kids running amuck. “So, how's this new position in life for you two?” A mischievous grin crept across her face.

Scatterblade's holoform wavered for a klik mid motion to sit. “It's good,” he said, quickly recovering from the surprise and taking his place on the couch.

“What 'new position',” the femme asked not following the meaning as she settled herself.

“You guys are holding hands! Did you tell each other finally?”

“Oh, umm...” Illusory was obviously flustered, she hadn't actually though of what or how to tel Charlie. “You might say that...” she looked at Scatterblade with a sly grin and a touch of panic.

“Yeah, simply put,” Scatterblade agreed, swallowing his own sudden panic. “We're doing fantastic.” He couldn't stop the smile that covered his face as he glanced at Illusory.

Charlie squealed happily, jumping off the couch and crushing the pair in a hug. “I'm so happy for you!”

“T-thanks,” Illusory stuttered, accepting the hug.

When Charlie stepped back the smile on her face looked almost painful. Then she remembered what Tibs had said about a Cybertronian couple. “So would it be weird of me to ask how...” her face turned red, seemingly lit on fire with embarrassment. “I mean...do you guys...um...” she shifted around uncomfortably, “procreate?”

“Y-yes...we can have offspring.” If Illusory's holoform had been programmed to blush, she would have been fully bright red by this point. It wasn't the idea of talking about procreation as much as it was leading up to what they had done the previous night that had her feeling embarrassed.

Charlie raised a brow at them noting how both holoforms looked slightly nervous. Scatterblade was trying not to smile and failing at it miserably, while Illusory fidgeted in an almost excited kind of way. “Do you understand the expression; you look like the cat that ate the canary?”

Illusory took a moment to search the term, then made a strong effort of schooling her expression to something a little less guilty looking. “I certainly have not consumed any birds..” she muttered.

Scatterblade immediately dropped the smile and shook his head. “I don't know what you're talking about,” but soon the grin was creeping back.

Charlie laughed softly, covering her mouth to help hide her amusement at tormenting the pair. “You guys are terrible liars,” she said moving her hands to clasp in her lap. “You can tell me when you want to,” she added, mock-relenting to their discomfort.

“Tel you what?” Illusory continued to mutter, figuring that there was nothing left to tell.

“Whatever it is you're hiding,” she shrugged.

Illusory only looked more flustered by Charlie's words, but said nothing. Scatterblade simply wrapped his arms around his mate to support her, a grin still stuck on his face. He knew they should say something, but at the same time was pretty sure this was just not the time or place for it.

“What do you do after delivering all of your candy gifts?” The femme asked, deciding to change the subject all together.

“Secret Santa. We all chose a name from a hat, just a random name, and we keep it secret. Then we go and buy them a present for Christmas. We'll be picking the names tonight before the kids head for bed.”

Illusory felt her previous fluster vanish as curiosity took over once more. “What is the purpose of that?”

“It's a tradition. There's this magical man...” she began with a smile and a wink, “named Santa Claus. He brings toys and presents to all the good children of the world, and because giving makes you feel good, we give presents to each other too.”

The femme looked slightly alarmed at the explanation. “How does this Santa Claus know where all the good children are? How does he distinguish between good and bad?”

“He has a naughty and nice list. But it's just a story,” she whispered, making sure there were no young children to hear her. “He's not real. He may have been a long time ago, but it's more of an idea than anything.”

“Not real?” Illusory seemed to calm slightly, though there was still a margin of suspicion in her eyes. “That is a disturbing story to tell to younglings...” she shook her head. “Some mysterious creature that knows if you are good or bad and always knows where you are? Creepy.” She shivered slightly.

Charlie laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. But TV and movies have made him look very kind and loving.”

“That is...terrifying.” She shook her head again. “Let us hope...” She stopped, knowing what she was going to say was not appropriate around their alien hosts.

“Hope what?” Charlie cocked her head, completely confused by the femme's reaction.

“That certain warlords never choose to use media against the beings of Earth,” she said quietly.

Scatterblade shivered slightly as he thought about it. “That's a scary image.”

The redhead's confusion only grew at the rather cryptic explanation. “Oh-kay...”

“The leader of those...what di you call them? E.T.s? Has been known to do some rather underhanded deeds. I would expect that if he chose to make the attempt he could do some rather grand deception through human media.” She glowered at the mere idea of it and begged any greater power that was listening that it never came to pass.

As everything became clear, Charlie shuddered. That was a dark image indeed. Then, as another thought occurred to her she quickly changed the topic to something a little lighter. “I wonder what it would be like if everyone knew about you guys.”

“I could only hope it would be as nice as we have experienced with you,” the femme said with a warm smile.

Scatterblade nodded in agreement. “Things would be a little easier, that's for sure. At least we could walk around.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Charlie agreed, imagining giant robots walking around town like they did on the base. “So, would you guys like to try Secret Santa? Well, it wouldn't be secret, but the presents could be,” she encouraged.

Illusory thought for a moment. “It could be interesting...” the femme shrugged, “though I have to admit I do not really understand it.”

“What's not to understand?”

“What is the process?”

“You can go buy something you think the other person would like, or you can make something,” she explained.

“Make...” Scatterblade chuckled a tad nervously, “right...”

“Okay,” the femme seemed to think on it for a minute. “When?”

“Christmas is in two weeks,” Charlie said. “You guys have some time to figure it out.”

Illusory nodded. “I see.”

“Sounds fun to me,” Scatterblade agreed.

“Then I suppose we could try this tradition. It seems nice enough.”

“Yeah.” Scatterblade smiled, hugging the femme close to him once more.

Illusory snuggled into the embrace comfortably. This new stage of their relationship was still strange to her, but she wasn't going to waste a second of it being concerned about what others may see or think. “Well, your family seems rather worn down by the events of today; should we leave you to rest?”

Charlie nodded, grinning happily at the adoration between her two friends. “Probably. You guys are welcome to stay or you can fizzle out.”

“Fizzle out?” Scatterblade asked confused.

“I think you should have time to resettle with your familial unit. We will not be too far should you need anything,” Illusory assured her friend.

“Thanks. You guys go have fun,” she winked.

“I think we can manage that,” the femme smiled innocently, rising to make a show of leaving the home. She said good-bye to the others within the house before exiting and heading toward her alt mode.

Scatterblade followed suit, dismissing his holoform as soon as he 'sat' inside his own alt mode. ::So, would you like to explore a little more with me?::

::Yes,:: the femme said simply, her engine already running. ::This region is so very different from where we have already been. I would enjoy seeing more.:

::Alright,:: he cheered happily. ::Come on, I saw a great place to start.::

Illusory followed the mech. Though it seemed her attention wandered from time to time she never ventured far from him.

Scatterblade drove toward the freeway, finding his way west toward the ocean. It had been a while since he had seen this planet's vast sprawl of water, and to be honest, he was having mixed feelings about it. When the Decepticon ship had crashed on this planet, it had been straight into the ocean. It was bizarre being in the water, but a welcome change to the close quarters he had endured in space. His escape was quite a while after the crash and he remembered hearing the crash of water against the hull of the ship. It had nearly driven his processor to fritz, a quiet promise of freedom that he couldn't have, torture in its own right. He vented, trying to focus on the road. It was odd thinking about his captivity, it seemed so long ago. An entirely different life and it was promising to be just that. He glanced back at the femme following behind him and smiled to himself. Yes, this was a much better life.

Illusory noticed her mate's discomfort, but was unsure of how to help him with it. He seemed to be going on just fine though, so she settled to offer her presence as comfort and enjoyed watching the scenery as they passed. She found the ocean alluring; it's rhythmic sound drawing her awareness and lulling her spark into a calmness she was sure she had never known before.

It took Scatterblade some time to find an empty beach, even at the late hour it was. After a while he pulled off the main roads and onto a dirt one, the city fell farther and farther behind them, calming his thoughts. Once he was sure there were no people anywhere to spot them, he stood, emerging into a stretch as plates slid easily and swiftly into his root form.

The femme followed him, eater to stand again. She enjoyed her time with Charlie, however she much preferred her root mode. If only they didn't have to remain hidden all the time, life would be easier. Then again, the war had made them all pretty used to hiding all the time.

Scatterblade worked his way down to the shore, past several small dunes of sand that further protected the pair from sight. “This place will be great,” he said softly, thinking about the future. Their future.

“Great for what?” Illusory asked as she slid down one of the dunes.

The dark front-liner smiled, holding his hand out to her. “For our sparkling.”

Taking his hand the femme smiled broadly, excitement thrumming through her at the mere thought. “Our sparkling...” she vented happily. “You are right. It will be great.” She looked over the beaches and the water beyond and her spark pulsed happily. This environment would ensure peace and comfort for the life they were about to bring into this new world.

“Do you know how long it will be?” Scatterblade asked curiously. He had never learned anything about sparklings; there had never been a need. Part of him wished he had taken some interest in learning about them before now.

Cycling air quickly, Illusory tried to recall any information she had been told of growth and development. “I...do not know,” she admitted. “I cannot say that there were many femmes concerned with sparklings around when I became old enough to discuss such things.”

“Right,” he nodded with understanding. They were both in much the same situation having been raised in a world that was far more concerned with survival than anything else. “Oh, Primus...” he vented as another thought came to his processor. “What do you think Ratchet is going to say? Or do you think he'll glitch first?” He laughed at the image in his processor of the older mech hearing the news.

“He would probably burn out a few processor connections to say the least. I know we should alert him...but...maybe we can wait a while? I do not relish the thoughts of what he would do.”

“I'm not planning on telling him,” the mech assured her. “It's really not much his business anyway. Whenever you're ready, love, and not a breem before.” He pulled her in close, enjoying the feel of her frame against his.

Illusory leaned heavily into the mech, loving the affection and the abandonment of her fears and worries for this moment of peace and love. “Thank you.”

“Any time,” he purred, pressing his head to hers.

They stayed that way for a while, watching the water and just enjoying the moment. Here, Illusory felt she could almost believe that nothing was wrong with the universe. She could pretend there was no war, no factions, no pain or suffering, and it was bliss. “I could live here,” she whispered, not wanting to disturb the serenity.

Scatterblade nodded, holding her just a little tighter. “Same here.”

“Maybe we could...” she thought. “We could acquire some land and build a home. We would have to build a human facade to disguise it...but it could be done.”

The mech looked down at the femme in his arms, a slight anxiety in his optics. Could they? Could they really make it work? What about the war? What would Optimus say? Then he smiled and banished away all of his apprehension. For her, he would do anything. Nothing else mattered. “We can. I think we should.”

With a large smile the femme started searching for available property that would fit their needs. There were a lot of requirements to fit, but she was sure there would be something they could work with. “It may take more time than normal, but we can do it, I am certain.”

Scatterblade grinned happily through a small churning threatened his tanks. He wanted to make this work, the thought of being civilian again, or at least acting civilian, was tantalizing. It was something he now realized he wanted more than anything could ever possibly try to give him because it was what she wanted...what she needed. Still, there was a faint doubt in his processor that warned him of the dangers. “I know we can make this work,” he said resolutely, locking those negative feelings away.

Illusory allowed herself to be swept away in thoughts of having an actual home for the first time in vorns. She shared her findings with Scatterblade, wanting his input on the things she was finding. He shuffled through what she gave him, offering comments where he thought they were necessary, but mostly left the picking to her. He knew he would be satisfied with anything so long as his family was there. “What about materials?” He asked as she began to settle on designs and location.

“We would have to ship it from different areas to avoid too much suspicion; gather as much as we can from the local area ourselves...it will be hard work and will likely take a long time to complete, though the frame and facade should be able to go up quickly. I think it is doable. I am compiling sources now...some things will be difficult, but still doable.”

“You are the processor behind it, my love. I will do whatever you want me to do.”

Illusory laughed. “Whatever I want you to do?” She winked at the mech mischievously before she gave him a list of items to acquire from the local areas. “Maybe we should tell Charlie. Or we could wait until it is complete and surprise her.”

He winked back and her acknowledging the list. “I like that idea,” he chuckled. “It can be Charlie's Secret Santa gift. As far as surprises go at least. I suppose it might be a little late though.”

“That is perfect,” Illusory purred with excitement. “I am growing more fond of this planet every breem.”

“Good, cause I don't think we'll be leaving any time soon.”

The femme laughed happily at his slight tease. Once she was set with their plans, she settled again to enjoy the scenery. Scatterblade easily draped an arm around her, letting his optics take in the soft colors of orange and pink take over the ocean's surface in the last moments of daylight. Nothing could be more perfect.

 


	28. Event Twenty Eight

Event Twenty-Eight

~

_On occasion you must scatter the illusions that others create of you...sometimes, the more you try, the stronger their illusions become._

~

 

Several days had passed since Charlie had last seen her alien friends. Tibs checked in on her often though, saying that the functionality of her arm was unbelievable; though there were times he showed up for seemingly no reason at all. He assured her that the two 'bots were doing just fine and that she need not worry about them.

They called, of course, checking in on her and making sure that Charlie was well and good and enjoying her time with her family. Still, they always seemed busy and did not find much time to visit.

She missed them, but she did not challenge their business knowing that they had protected some secret from her and that whatever they were doing was likely in the name of that secret. She could only hope that it was something good and not that they were hiding something horrible from her.

For the 'bots, things were progressing almost unbelievably well. The property had turned out to be rather undesirable by the local in inhabitants due to the difficulty in developing the land. It was hardly an issue for the large creatures to handle; their home world was far less forgiving when it came to building on it. They were able to gather enough supplies from the land itself and nearby areas that went unnoticed to make great progress before being forced to ship in what they required. They shipped out the dredged up earth at different times and from various places to prevent anyone from noticing the sheer amount of displaced soil they were moving.

Due to the reality of what they required, their true home was underground to avoid anyone accidentally peeking into their home and seeing anything they shouldn't; however the house above was spacious enough that they could take on their bipedal modes if they chose to.

“If things keep to this schedule,” the femme announced to her mate happily after a long night of construction which had left them with a nearly completed facade home while their own home below was still in bare stages, “we should be done in time for Charlie's holiday.”

The mech vented heavily with the work they had completed this Earth day and settled down beside the femme. “That's perfect,” he said with a half smile. They were working hard and it showed in their frames. Had they been home on Cybertron and without the war waging such a home could have been completed in half an orn with a full crew; but with just the two of them – even with the softer substance Earth was made of – it was taking a little longer and they had to work harder. Still, it was worth it to both of them.

“I think she will be pleased.” Illusory leaned back against a mound of sand to watch as the sky turned from gray dawn to the burning edges of sunrise.

“I think so too,” Scatterblade agreed, placing a hand on her shoulder soothingly. “She'll be so excited for all of it.”

“Maybe she would like to stay here too?” She asked hopefully.

“That'd be a great idea,” he agreed almost wistfully. “She could still be near her family and be able to live on her own again, just like she wanted.”

Illusory's engine revved happily, the idea of Charlie being that close would make it easier to be sure the human was protected. “What should we do today?” She asked wearily. While she was used to long orns of work; the extra labor of trying to hide the depths of their building and the sheer amount of effort they had to throw into it was taxing.

“We should rest some today,” Scatterblade vented softly, his own exhaustion clear. “We've been going for...I forget how long even. It's time to relax a little. How's our little one?”

“As far as I can tell, the little one is just fine. I wonder if it will be a mech or femme,” she wondered out loud, hand brushing over her chestplates absently.

“I've been wondering too. I don't really know if I want to hope for one or the other,” he shrugged. “I'll be happy either way.”

“What should we call it?”

Caught a little off guard, Scatterblade paused to think for a moment. “I don't know. I wasn't really taking a huge thought on it. I'm not really all that creative.”

Illusory laughed. “We have time,” she teased. “Plenty of time to think.”

Scatterblade chuckled happily. “Yeah, we have to make it perfect,” he said holding her tightly.

“Perfect,” the femme agreed.

::Scatterblade,:: Prowls stoic tone interrupted the mech's peaceful moment. ::Status report. How is everything going?::

“Oh, frag,” the front-liner vented annoyed. “Prowl's calling,” he explained at the femme's curious look.

She stiffened at the mention of the tactical officer's name. “Is something wrong?”

“Just a status report.”

“Oh. What will you tell him?”

“That we've found a permanent residence here and we haven't seen any 'Cons,” he shrugged.

“It is truth,” the femme agreed.

“Just now the whole truth,” he pointed out with a grin.

“What he does not know will not harm him.”

“Exactly,” the mech agreed with a laugh, hugging her close for a klik before responding. ::Everything's great out here. Haven't seen any 'Con activity. We've put together a dwelling and staying out of site. Charlie is well and safe with her family.::

::Noted. Please send co-ordinance of the dwelling to be registered in N.E.S.T. files.::

The mech sent the location immediately, seeing no reason not to. ::Anything else?::

::You are both due for energon rations. Will you be returning to pick them up, or should we have them shipped out?::

“Good question,” he said aloud glancing at his mate. “Do we want to go pick up energon or have it shipped?”

“I do not want to go back there,” Illusory said firmly. “I don't want to take a chance of Ratchet scanning me. Not yet. Besides, that will detract from the time we have to complete our home.”

“That's fine, I didn't really want to go back either,” he assured her. ::Shipped, please.::

::Arrangements will be made for delivery at your registered dwelling. Check in again in three orns.::

::Will do,:: he said ending the transmission. “What can we do in three orns?” He asked with a sly grin.

“What can we do indeed...” Illusory teased mischievously. “Look at what we've done in less than one. We should probably think about establishing ourselves within the community to help conceal ourselves.”

He vented in mock disappointment at her shift of focus. “You're right. Care to go for a drive?”

“Absolutely.”

Scatterblade laughed, pushing himself to his feet and helping the femme stand. They headed for the closest road, not having built one to their home just yet to avoid anyone coming up to it before it was completed. It made for a short walk before they were able to take their alt modes once more. Scatterblade offered suggestions of where to start their 'day off'.

Illusory picked one that wasn't too difficult to drive, but that provided the opportunity for some speed. It was a rather scenic route with leisure turns all through it.

Scatterblade raced near his mate, enjoying the feeling of being on the road again.

The femme raced, not pushing too hard but still testing the limits. They went for a while, then suddenly Illusory's engine cut and she rolled to the side of the road. Warnings flashing all through her systems. “Slag,” she grumbled after the initial shock wore off. “Low energy...”

Scatterblade was at her side in an instant, jumping to his feet. “Lu! Are you alright?” He knelt beside her, hands resting on her hood and roof, searching for any obvious injury.

“I am fine,” she assured him. “Just...low on energy. I guess I did not take into account the higher levels of consumption.”

“Yeah, not to mention we've been working all offcycle,” he chuckled nervously, hands gently rubbing against her plating. “Is there anyway I can help you?”

“I think if I rest for a while, I should be able to make it home.”

“Alright,” he nodded, trying to calm his hammering spark and racing processor. “You had me scared there.” He folded down to his alt mode beside her, doors nearly touching.

“Sorry, I was not quite expecting it myself. I will have to keep this in mind in the future.”

“We both will,” he agreed. “Nice spot to break down though,” he teased. “Beautiful view.”

it was a few hours, Illusory slipping into light recharge, before she was able to turn back home. Even with the recharge she was barely able to keep up the speed limit on the back roads they were traveling. Once they reached the end of the road, she transformed into her bipedal mode, but was unstable on her feet. “I think I need more recharge,” she explained as she tried to steady herself. She didn't like feeling this weak and worn down, but she didn't think she would change it for anything.

Scatterblade half carried her once he changed from his alt mode. “Recharge sounds fantastic,” he agreed with a smile.

Once they were back in their home-in-progress, Illusory was quick to find recharge. Scatterblade watched over her, resting a protective arm on his mate. He thought about both of the sparks beneath his hand. Part of him was ecstatic, so overjoyed to have a sparkling. Even when he ran the word over in his processor, it had a mix of sadness and reverence to it. He was so excited that they were starting to revitalize their species, that it was Illusory and himself that had made that step, but a part of him was terrified because of it. Would they do well? Would he slag it up? Neither of them knew anything about being a caretaker, could they do it?

Illusory remained in recharge for a full cycle and well into the next before she stirred. She groaned as she came back online. “Ah feel like ah've run inta uh brick wall,” she complained as she stretched out her aching joints.

Scatterblade jarred awake with her movements. “You didn't crash into one, did you?” He asked a little disoriented. He had been laying there, thinking, then he must have fallen into recharge too. He had been rather exhausted himself so that really was no surprise.

“Would explain uh lot,” she moaned. “Sorry ah woke ya.”

“It's completely all right,” he laughed, rubbing a hand over her shoulder.

“How long was I offline?”

Checking his chronometer, Scatterblade found himself a little surprised by the time that had passed. “About a day and a half.”

“What?!” She checked her own chronometer only to find what he said was true. “Charlie will be so upset! She hates it when we forget to call...”

Scatterblade vented frustratedly. “Slag. Want me to call her?”

“Yes, at the very least.”

“Alright,” he nodded, making the call.

“Hello?” Charlie's voice was guarded and confused.

“Hey, Charlie, it's me. Sorry we...”

“Sorry? Where the heck have you been?! You guys disappeared on and off for over almost two weeks now, and you don't even call for days!” The woman snapped, anger and worry clear in her tone.

“I said sorry. We've been...busy,” he said rather unconvincingly. “Don't worry about us, we're alright. We thought of coming to visit you today, if you're free.”

Charlie sighed over the line, frustration wearing on her. “Yeah, I'm free. Come on over, but you better have something fun to show me,” she pouted in attempt to ease the tension. She wasn't really angry, she had just been very worried and when they had gone almost three days with no contact she had been afraid something had happened to them.

Scatterblade chuckled at her pout. 'I'll work on that,” he promised as he ended the call. “She'd like us to visit.”

“Lets go then,” the femme said eagerly climbing to her feet. “She was mad, wasn't she?”

“It sure sounded like it,” he winced, giving her an apologetic smile. “But she said we better have something fun to show her.”

“Oh? What do you suppose we should show her?”

“I don't know. We could tell her about our little one.” He grinned.

Illusory smiled. “It would be a big surprise...” she thought of how Charlie would react. “However, I do not think it would be a good idea to tell anyone just yet. Mr. Tiegan may learn of it and it would be less than a klik before Ratchet would find out...” Illusory wasn't sure why she was so opposed to Ratchet discovering their sparkling; after all, the medic would only do what was best for her and the sparkling she was carrying, but a fearful side of her was terrified she would ding herself locked in the med bay again – or worse.

Scatterblade nodded, still a little baffled by his mate's distrust of the medic but not wanting to push her. “Alright, whenever you're ready,” he assured her, standing.

“Maybe we can ask Charlie what she would like, then go from there?”

“I'm thinking she was being sarcastic,” he pointed out with a grin, offering her a hand. “But yeah, we'll see if we can't so something for her to make up for everything.”

Nodding and venting softly, the femme took his hand and climbed to her feet. She stretched hard, some of her plating snapping as it moved into place. “We should get going.”

Scatterblade lead the way from their home. He kept a nervous optic on the femme, wary that she might break down again.

She made sure to take it easy for their trip, though she was still worn out by the time they reached Charlie's home.

Charlie was sitting on the porch swing looking up at the sky as cloud wisps floated by. Illusory sat for a moment before generating her holoform and climbing out. She waved at the human with her holoform as she physically settled low on her tires in a partial standby mode to rest while they visited.

Charlie's face brightened when she saw the pair and invited them to sit beside her on the swing. “You guys sure have been busy lately,” she said as a greeting.

“How do you mean?” Scatterblade chuckled innocently with a raised brow.

“You've been gone a lot,” Charlie sighed. “What have you been up to?”  
“You will see,” Illusory teased as she sat beside Charlie. “I do apologize for our absence though.”

Charlie waved it off easily. “I'm fine. It better be an awesome surprise,” she pouted.

Scatterblade laughed. “Like 'Lu said; just wait and see.”

“What about you? What have you been doing while we were away?”

“Getting back into the Community College,” Charlie grinned. “I'm glad to be busy again.”

“Busy is good. Your arm is functioning well? No problems?”

“Not at all!” As if to demonstrate she stretched the prosthetic out. “It's been hard feeling for things but it's working out. Tibs has been a huge help.”

“He seemed very interested in making sure everything functioned properly.”

“Yeah,” Charlie grinned, casting her eyes down and biting her lip. “He's...sweet.”

Scatterblade chuckled at the face she made, amused by the expression. “You like him?”

“He's nice,” Charlie mumbled a little dazedly, though she snapped from her thoughts quickly, “but he's just here for the arm. The research. He can't get enough of it, he's such a nerd when it comes to it.”

“Are you certain?” Illusory asked with interest.

Charlie shrugged. “I don't know for sure. I've never been...liked like that before. That, and...” she sighed, “I miss Nate to be honest.”

“Oh.” Scatterblade grimaced a little at the mention of the younger man. He felt a little badly that Charlie was so far from him now.

Illusory nodded sympathetically. It was hard to be away from those you cared for, she knew, and it didn't make matters any easier to have deeper feeling for someone so far away. “Have you heard anything from him since you have returned home?”

Charlie shook her head. “No,” she said softly. “I've been busy with school and family and...” she sighed a little disappointed, “I'm too scared to call him.”

Illusory was surprised by the admission. “Why?”

She shrugged and shook her head. “I don't know. He wasn't very receptive to you guys and...I don't know...it kinda hurt that he wasn't. You guys are my friends.”

“It is not easy for everyone to accept our kind, especially since we tend to bring war with us; intentional or not. Perhaps you should call him, give him a chance now that he has had time to think on it. At the very least, let him know how things have gone with your arm replacement, I am sure he would like to know.”

“Yeah,” the redhead nodded, “maybe later.”

“Not too much later,” Scatterblade warned with a smirk.

“How are your holiday preparations going? It is not long until the day you celebrate, is it?”

“Christmas Eve is tomorrow,” Charlie said, her excitement returning. “School let out yesterday. I've been trying to relax.”

“Hmm,” the femme pondered. ::Should we show her what we've been working on? It is a little early, but maybe that is okay.::

::A little early may be just what she needs,:: he agreed warmly. “Would you like to go for a drive?” The mech asked Charlie hopefully.

“We may have something to make up for our absence as of late.”

“Yeah?” Charlie raised a brow with skeptical amusement, a grin claiming her face. “Alright. I'll tell my parents I'm leaving.” She leaped from the swing and retreated into the house.

Illusory returned to her alt mode and 'climbed in' dissipating her holoform while she waited.

When Charlie emerged from the house she trotted right to Illusory and climbed in on the passenger side. The femme puled onto the road easily, Scatterblade closely behind her.

Heading back to their home Illusory had to restrain herself not to go too quickly. She was eager to show Charlie what they had been doing, but she couldn't afford to spend the extra energy on speed. Not if she wanted to keep from shutting down like she had before. “It is some distance out, but I think you will like it,” the femme said eagerly, filling the time with conversation.

“I like long trips,” Charlie assured, settling herself in for the drive. However, as they continued on her brow furrowed. “We're not going very fast,” she observed the way the femme stayed just at if not slightly under the speed limits. “You okay?”

“Oh, I am fine. Just low on reserves, nothing to worry about.” The femme's engine revved slightly with her want to go faster, but she simply did not have it in her to do so. Even this leisure drive was taxing on her low reserves.

“Oh, okay. Take your time,” Charlie encouraged the femme with enthusiasm. “It'll build up the excitement.”

Illusory laughed at the woman's eagerness.

It took the trio nearly an hour to reach the end of the road where the femme stopped and opened her door for the human to exit. “We have to walk from here,” she explained.  
Charlie was confused but climbed out quickly, allowing her friend to transform. She stood back grinning as she watched; it was never going to get old to watch these magnificent beings – her friends – transform into their true form.

Illusory offered her hand to carry the woman, then headed in the direction of their home. “We have been working on it for a while now, though it is not yet entirely complete,” she spoke as she walked.

“Wow, you guys have been been away for a long time, it must be something big!”

“Maybe not 'bit', but comfortable,” the femme teased.

“Comfortable?” Charlie was confused. “Did 'Blade build a giant couch or something?”

“No, not exactly...” the femme held Charlie up as they came over the last dune blocking their view of their home. It was nearly compete; from the outside it appeared finished. The human facade easily in place making the home look like a spacious luxury beach home that had windows to view every breathtaking view available to the property. “It is home,” she said happily.

Charlie's breath emptied from her lungs as sheer surprise lit on her face. She laughed, covering her mouth. “Holy...crap,” she said, literally breathless. “You guys are living together?” She squealed happily. “Oh my gosh! This is...this is amazing!”

“We thought maybe we could settle down here a bit. Live semi-normal lives...” she paused, looking to Scatterblade as she continued. “We thought you might enjoy living here as well.”

“Seriously?” She gaped and squealed simultaneously. “I would love to!”

Scatterblade laughed at the excitement. “It'll be great having you here.”

“Would you like to look inside? It is not complete, but it is close.”

“Totally,” she laughed. “I'd love to see it!”

Illusory walked to the house and opened a door that was invisible when closed that was large enough for the 'bots to enter. She set the human down to investigate.

Charlie balked at the spacious room. “Wow, you guys are doing great on this! And only in a couple weeks!” She looked around, growing a little concerned as she took in the size of the house and then the size of her friends. But don't you think it's kinda small?”

The Bonneville mech nodded. “It is, up here. There's a basement,” he grinned mischievously.

“We wanted to be able to move about up here, but this is really all for show...and for you, since you will be staying,” the femme smiled happily. “Our actually living space is below where we can remain easily concealed.”

“There's more?” Charlie asked excitedly. “Can I see it?”

“Of course.” Illusory led the way to a rather innocent looking wall that appeared to back up against one of the rocky outcroppings of the area and easily pushed aside yet another hidden door. “There is a small entrance for you,” she explained, pointing to an area that looked to be nothing more than a spacious coat closet. Past the door were stairs that spiraled down for what seemed like forever. “We intend to build a lift later on. The parts have to be acqired at different intervals to prevent suspicion, so this will have to do for the time being.”

Once downstaisrs, the place opened up into a completely alien looking space that still looked welcoming and comfortable. There were two rooms, an obvious office, a communal area, what would serve as a 'kitchen' and another room that was entirely lined in stone and had the vague lingering sense of water to it. “It is not much, but it's more than we have had in...a very long time,' the femme vented happily.

“Wow.” Seeing this home the 'bots had built for themselves made Charlie feel so lucky. She was never wanting for the comforts she had lived with all her life. College was a little hard, but at least she was warm and housed. She had no idea what true homelessness felt like. “So you guys are realy staying,” she said excitedly.

“Of course we are,” Scatterblade said a little confused. “Why wouldn't we?'

“Men in black,” Charlie shrugged.

“What are those?” Illusory asked innocently, still marveling at the comforts of their home. She felt at ease here and could think of no better place to raise their sparkling.

“It's a movie about guys that help aliens integrate and regulate alien travel between Earth and other planets,” she shrugged.

“Wow,” Scatterblade whistled. “Is that what N.E.S.T. is?”

Charlie giggled. “It's just a movie.”

“Oh,” the mech said a little disappointed.

“I believe that is what N.E.S.T. intends to be,” Illusory scoffed. “It is not such a bad idea; to manage the aliens invading your planet.”

Charlie scrunched up her face. “Makes it sound like a bad thing.”

“It can be a bad thing,” Scatterblade reminded a little sheepishly.

“Look at what...” Illusory stopped, deciding she didn't want to bring up the negative things again. “You know, maybe it will be different now.” She shook her head, one hand absently rubbing at her chest over her spark.

Scatterblade noticed the movement. “You okay?” He asked without thinking.

“Yeah,” she dropped her hand quickly. “Just thinking.”

An apologetic look flashed across his face before his smile returned.

Charlie watched the pair for a moment, but dismissed the weird behavior to explore more of the basement.

Illusory smiled, reassuring her made that all was well. She appreciated her concern. “so, what do you think, Charlie?” She asked as she watched the woman explore. Something about having Charlie wander through their home made it feel...complete.

“It's amazing,” she laughed. “This is going to be so awesome.”

“I am glad you think so.” Illusory smiled, making herself comfortable while she waited.

Charlie spent a few minutes satisfying her seemingly endless curiosity discovering all the rooms of the house. Scatterblade gladly showed her around, eager to share his new home with the human.

The three spent the rest of the day enjoying the area, the 'bots happily explaining how they intended to finish up the place and asking Charlie what she wanted specifically for her living quarters. However, as the day wore on, Illusory seemed less inclined to participate in their activities. Finally giving in she apologized. “I need a few breems of recharge,” she explained as she headed for the berth they had constructed near the beginning of their building. “Hopefully Prowl is accurate in his estimation of energon delivery, I could sure sue some.”

“I'll check back with him on an ETA in a little bit,” Scatterblade assured her. “Get some rest,” he smiled, affection clear in his entire frame.

Illusory waved to her companions as she vanished into their recharge quarters, leaving the pair to their own devices.

Scatterblade turned his attention back to Charlie who was jabbering on about hobbies she could pick back up again now that she was home. The current topic excited her to no end. “I miss swimming so much! And surfing! Oh, I have to find my boards and take Tibs out on the water,” she chuckled as an image formed in her head of the thin man trying to surf. “Can you imagine Tibs on a board?” She laughed almost hysterically. “It would be hilarious at the very least!”

Scatterblade cocked an eye ridge. “I'm not sure I understand what surfing is.”

Charlie glanced up at him with mock surprise. “I thought you could Google everything?”

He chuckled at the sarcasm. “I can, but I'd much rather hear it from you.”

Charlie blushed slightly at the sudden center stage feeling, but quickly jumped into the description. When she finished, Scatterblade wondered how the humans of this planet didn't inadvertently kill themselves doing all the crazy things they seemed to find 'fun'. He said as much to his friend only to have her launch into other dangerous, adrenaline high activities humans often participated in. It wasn't until she was talking about NASCAR crashes that Scatterblade remembered he needed to check with Prowl about their shipment. He commed the officer, allowing Charlie to continue chattering. ::Hey, Prowl. I have a question for you.::

::Go ahead,:: the mech answered flatly.

::Do you have an ETA on that shipment of energon rations?::

::Shipment should arrive within the cycle. Jazz is delivering – you may try checking in with him to determine his whereabouts.::

::Will do, thanks.:: He ended the short impersonal call and commed the silver mech. ::Hey, Jazz. I didn't know they were sending you out,:: he greeted happily.

::Ah insisted!:: The mech answered back happily. ::Just had ta see what kinda digs Lu an' ya were callin' 'home'.::

The mech laughed at his eagerness. ::She'll like the company. We've been working pretty hard on it lately. I'm afraid she may be working too hard,:: he admitted guiltily.

::Why's that?:: Mild concern filled the mech's voice.

Scatterblade felt his spark flutter and he mentally kicked himself. Brushing off the reaction he focused on his answer. ::Because she insists on doing this all very quickly and with just the two of us and none of the usual equipment it's been pretty demanding.::

::Sounds like Lu. How are ya holdin' up? She drivin' ya off th' deep end yet?::

The Bonneville chuckled at the clueless mech. ::No, not at all. She's doing amazingly. She's loving being out here. Picked a great spot to build the house.::

::Oh, so _that's_ how it is, huh?:: Jazz teased. ::Well Ah'm on route, should be there shortly.::

::See ya soon.::

It was another hour before Jazz was pinging Scatterblade and Illusory's proximity sensors that he was approaching.

Scatterblade jerked up at the sensation, not quite having expected the mech so soon. “We've got a guest,” he informed Charlie from the shore where she was enjoying the rolling waters of the ocean.

“Oh, yeah?” She asked, wiping water from her face as she came to stand near the mech. “Who?”

“Jazz,” he lifted Charlie in his hand, blocking her from the wind and close to his chest to warm her from the winter waters.

“We headed b-b-back to the house then?” She shivered a little as the chill finally sank into her body. The swimming had been fun and active enough to keep the chill at bay, but now that she wasn't moving it was starting to affect her.

Scatterblade nodded and Charlie settled in for the short trip. One bonus of where their new home was situated was the practically private beach they had to themselves. The chances of anyone else coming around this area were so slim that it might as well have been non-existent.

Jazz took the time to look over the house with appreciation. If he hadn't known better, he would have assumed it to be nothing more than a lavish human beach home, but his scanners picked up the tell-tale signs of underground construction. The 'bots had definitely done their homework. Literally.

::Where're you hiding?:: Scatterblade commed as he and Charlie reached the house.

The small silver mech appeared from around the side of the building, waving at them in greeting. “How's it goin?”

Scatterblade and Charlie waved back. “Everything's going pretty well,” the black front-liner beamed proudly. “Good to see you again!”

“You too! Place looks great. Ah'm impressed. No slackin' off, huh? Lu had ya workin' pretty hard ta get this all done, didn't she?” The mech studied the pair approaching him carefully, though he showed no real sign of doing so. “Speakin' of, where is th' femme?”

“She's recharging,” Scatterblade said with a smile. “We've been pretty busy and took a bit of an aggressive drive this morning, she's pretty run down.”

“Huh, well, good thing Ah'm here then. Got yer energon an' some mild highgrade from th' twins fer yer 'house-warmin'.”

Scatterblade laughed. “I think we can pass on the highgrade.”

“What's highgrade?” Charlie asked, already having a hint as to what it might be considering it was being offered as a gift for celebration.

“It's uh,” the Bonneville shrugged, “our version of alcohol.”

The redhead chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, gosh.”

“Let's show Jazz around,” Scatterblade interrupted the awkward moment. “Come on in!”

The smaller mech followed easily, taking careful – though aloof – stock of the home. “Nice detail on th' facade,” he commented with approval. Once they headed downstairs he whistled in amazement. “Wow.”

“It still needs work, but its coming along great,” Scatterblade beamed, proud of their hard work as he continued to lead the way.

“And I'm going to live upstairs!” Charlie grinned doing a small happy dance at their feet.

Jazz laughed at the display, finding the girl a little after his own spark. “That's great! It'll make th' place real, an' ya can keep these two in line,” he teased, nudging Scatterblade. 

The front-liner rolled his optics, but nodded humorously. “We're excited to have her here.”

“Good.” Jazz grinned. It would make watching over the human a lot easier if she were living with the 'bots assigned to protect her, and likewise making their facade a reality.

When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Jazz looked a little surprised. “Bigger than Ah thought,” he pointed out a bit awed. “Ya two did all this alone?”

“Yeah,” Scatterblade nodded, the clear wear of the effort showing in his frame. “Lu really wanted to be done in time for Charlie's holiday and who am I to stop her?” His smile was one of wistful admiration for his mate; she was determined, strong willed, and so very intelligent.

Jazz simply shook his head. He knew the femme could get things done in an amazing amount of time, but to build an entire home without proper equipment between just the two of them? “That's amazin'.”

“It's a home within a home!” Charlie cheered happily, taking in the massive space with renewed awe.

“Right!” The saboteur agreed. “Good ta see someone settlin' in here. Kinda makes it all feel like there's really hope, ya know?”

Scatterblade's smile shown again. “Absolutely.” Of course his processor was focused on things beyond the home they were building.

“Jazz,” Illusory greeted a little groggily as she emerged from their berth room. “Good to see you.”

“Hey, femme! Wow, 'Blade wasn't kiddin', ya really overdid it didn't ya?”

The femme shrugged. “Wanted to be done in time for Charlie's Christmas celebration. We will not quite hit that goal, but it is close enough.”

“Christmas is going to be great,” the redhead said excitedly. “My family is gonna head up north a bit to play in the snow.”

“That sounds like fun,” the femme smiled. She had some experience with snow, but didn't find it anything worthy of 'playing in', as far as she could tell.

“Snow can be tricky,” Jazz added, though his expression suggested he found it to be the exciting kind of tricky.

“Yeah,” Charlie shuddered, thinking of how cars slipped and weaved in the snow. “Driving in a blizzard isn't fun. For me at least, it gets scary.”

“Ya just gotta know yer wheels,” the mech teased.

“Says the one who has direct control over their wheels,” Charlie teased back.

“Ha! True, ya got eh there.”

“Not to be pushy,” Illusory interrupted, “but I believe you have something for us?”

“Right!” Jazz nodded as he pulled his cargo from subspace. “Ya look uh lil' deprived femme, what have ya been up ta that ya've burned through yer reserves? Ah know Ratch' didn't let ya leave low.”

Illusory schooled her body language carefully. “Do you not see the building around you?”

“Course Ah do, but Ah also see uh mech Ah know ya worked ta th' struts who's nowhere near as depleted as ya are.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Charlie said eying her two friends. The femme looked positively drained. Not that Scatterblade looked at the top of his game either, but he sure looked a lot better off than Illusory. “You okay, 'Lu?”

The femme tensed slightly, cursed herself for it internally, then forced herself to relax. “Yes, I am fine. I suppose it is just so much activity after so long of laying low finally caught up to me.”

“Sure,” jazz said unconvinced. He handed Illusory a cube of energon from the pile he had brought, setting aside the mild highgrade for the pair to decide what to do with later, and studied the femme before him. “Ah'm not quite buyin' it, but as long as yer not hurt, Ah suppose it's none of muh business.”

“No, I am not hurt,” she assured him before drinking the energon. She had to struggle with herself not to gulp the liquid down too quickly. Her systems purred happily at being refueled and she felt much better. “I am perfectly functional.”

Scatterblade worried about the saboteur’s focus on his mate. Jazz had a sharp processor; the mech had earned his position close to the Prime for a reason and it wasn't because he let things go. “Thanks for coming by, Jazz,” he offered, hoping that he could end the confrontation before Illusory became too distressed. He grabbed a cube of energon for himself and drank it quickly, his own systems demanding the fuel rather ambitiously.

“Hey, no problem,” the mech smiled, a gleam in his visor as he watched the pair drift close to each other. “Though, if ya thought Ah was just gonna drive by, yer nuts.”

Illusory felt a wave of alarm hit her. “What?”

“Ah'm gonna hang fer uh few days. Check in with th' human team up here, scope th' place out. Thought Ah'd offer uh hand if ya want some help finishin' up round here.”

“Why?” The femme asked suspiciously. She knew more about Jazz than most 'bots, and his lingering could only mean that he knew something she didn't want him to know – or that he was on the verge of knowing – and she didn't like it.

“Lu, common now. Ya know Ah'd never be here fer anythin' other than what Ah claim...”

“Yeah, and I am a combiner core.” The femme grumbled, glaring at the silver mech.

“Oh, well...thanks for the help,” Scatterblade shrugged with a grin, though it did not reach his optics.

“Glad to have ya! It'll be neat to have another 'bot around that I can get to know.” Charlie said with clear enthusiasm. She completely missed the wary looks being directed at their new guest.

“No problem,” Jazz smiled, though there was a faint glimmer in his optics.

Illusory vented softly, trying to contain her rising anxiety. “Thank you, but you do not have to go out of your way for us.”

“It's not outta muh way at all. Ah'm already here!”

Charlie watched silently at the two 'bickering' 'bots. She was starting to see that something was a little more off than she had previously thought with Illusory's odd behavior. Perhaps a secret? Another secret anyway. She wasn't sure, but she was starting to think she wasn't the only one suspecting the two of hiding something.

::It'll be fine,:: Scatterblade assured Illusory over a private comm. ::What's the matter?::

::He knows something is up...he is going to try and figure it out.::

::...What's wrong with that?:: The mech asked, unsure of where her tension was coming from. ::I can understand Ratchet finding out, but this is Jazz. He's not going to insist you go back. Not when we're almost done with our house here.::

::I...suppose...but he will likely report back. I just am not ready,:: she finished with an audible venting, forcing herself to relax.

Scatterblade nodded slightly with understanding. Illusory was very secretive, he had learned that early on, and this was something very large. If she wasn't ready, she wasn't ready.

Charlie caught the signs of conversation between her two friends and sighed. “You guys are horrid. I always feel left out when you do that.”

“Oh, I am sorry, Charlie.” Illusory looked fully ashamed of herself.

“Yeah,” Jazz assured the human. “Don't worry, it isn't ya they don't want ta hear what they're talkin' 'bout anyway.” He crooked a sly smile toward the woman, his body language still one of calm comfort.

“So it's not just me,” Charlie said sarcastically, suddenly aware that there really was some secret laying below the surface right before her.

“Nah, don't worry though. It's perfectly natural for new bonds.”

“Jazz!” The femme shrieked.

“Ha! Ah knew it!” Jazz crowed happily.

“Say what?” The redhead woman asked with confusion.

Scatterblade vented with exasperation. “Was it really that obvious?”

“Only painfully,” Jazz laughed. “It took uh breem ta catch, but ya both scream bond-mated. Congrats!” He turned his focus to Charlie, taking it upon himself to explain to the human. “It's kinda like marriage, only more permanent.”

“What?!” Charlie screeched with a piercing mix of surprise and incredulity. “You got married?!”

“Uh...” Illusory said rather smartly, staring open mouthed at her human friend. She had been unable to come up with a good way to explain it before, now she was completely dumbstruck.

“Yeah,” Scatterblade chuckled nervously. He was rather relieved to have that news out and no longer being locked inside.

“But you called it 'bond-mates'?” She asked for clarification, sure that she wasn't capturing the full implication.

“Yep,” the mech said with a nod.

“And that means...?”

“Um...it's a...” he floundered, searching the other two bots for some answer.

“Their sparks are uh part of each other's now.” Jazz explained easily.

“What does that mean...exactly?” Charlie pushed, still confused by the terminology.

“We are...connected by our very life essence,” Illusory conceded, finally adding into the explanation.

“Something like a soul,” Jazz added, indicating the spark hidden away in his own chest.

Charlie's face shone with reverence. “Wow! That's so amazing!”

Scatterblade nodded and looked to Illusory, to his mate, and that wistful expression came back. “It feels amazing.”

“Very much so,” the femme agreed.

“So, why haven't ya told anyone yet?” Jazz pushed, leaning against the wall to watch the newly mated couple now that he was sure what he was seeing. “Ah mean, this is great news! Everyone'd be happy ta hear it.”

“We really wanted to finish the house and establish ourselves here before we had to leave it again,” Scatterblade explained with an unconscious glance at Illusory.

“Why would ya have ta leave?” The glance hadn't been missed by the sharp silver mech. It wasn't hard to put together that it was Illusory's fears keeping this quiet.

“Ratchet would find one thing or another that needed checking in on,” the mech said dismissively, repeating Illusory's fears in his own words.

“Ah know visits with Ratch' ain't always pleasant, but Ah don't think that's reason enough ta...”

“We just wanted some time for privacy,” the femme interrupted with a bit of a bite.

Jazz nodded, understanding expressed on his faceplates though there was still a hint of suspicion. “Gotcha.”

Charlie felt out of the loop once again, but threw up her hands in defeat. This was obviously something she didn't and wouldn't understand. “So,” she said in hopes of changing the subject, “what do you want to do?”  


“Ah still gotta check in with Tibs an' his team,” Jazz pointed out.

“Would you like to go see him?” Illusory asked their human companion.

“Yeah!” She agreed eagerly; both because anything was better than this awkward tension in the room currently, and because she honestly enjoyed spending time with the man.

Illusory offered to carry Charlie as they went back up the stairs and made their way to the road. Once there, she set Charlie down so she could take on her alt form. Jazz did the same, though with a bit more flourish than was really needed.

Charlie watched with unhidden excitement as the silver Pontiac emerged from where Jazz had once been, his bravado clearly striking her. “Holy cow,” she laughed, “that was awesome!”

Jazz revved his engine at Charlie's compliment. “Anythin' worth doin' is worth doin' with style.”

Scatterblade took on his alt mode, rolling his optics at the saboteur's exuberance.

Illusory vented softly at the display. “Show off.” She opened her door for Charlie, who quickly climbed in, still laughing at the exciting show of transformation. Not that it wasn't amazing to watch Illusory or Scatterblade change from one form to the other, but neither did it with that much embellishment. It was obvious that Jazz did it for show instead of functionality, but it was still amazing to see that they could have such specific control over the transformation.

Jazz took off, leading the way at a quick pace, but Illusory kept to a more sedate and steady pace, Scatterblade close behind her.

When Jazz noticed the other two weren't keeping up, he slowed until they were beside him. “What's with th' crawl? Ah know ya got uh performance engine under that hood.”

“It is called a 'speed limit' and I have a passenger,” Illusory said rather quickly. “What is your rush?”

“No rush,” Jazz assured her, though there was a level of confusion to his voice. Since when did Illusory not take the opportunity to pour on a little speed?

“I thought all you needed was energon to keep up the pace?” Charlie noted the earlier explanation she had been given.

“I...uh...” Illusory fumbled a little having been trapped in her own words. “It...um...might be a little more complicated than that...” she mumbled.

“Is somethin' wrong?” Jazz pushed, concern clear in his tone.

'Complicated?' Charlie furrowed her brow. Things simply weren't adding up. “You sure you're okay?”

“Yes, I am fine,” the femme grumbled, though not directing her annoyance at her passenger.

“Fine as in 'Ah'm fine enough ta keep goin' but really shouldn't' kinda fine, or fine as in a hundred percent functional fine?”

“Ah'm fully functional!” Illusory growled.

“Then what's yer deal, femme?”

“I...am still just a little worn down,” she tried, though she didn't sound convinced by her own explanation. She was struggling to keep her temper and uncertainty under control. Jazz was simply too observant and it was making her nervous that he could read everything she wasn't saying as clearly as if it were written on her armor for him to see. She didn't like being under his scrutiny.

“Just let her drive the way she wants to,” Scatterblade warned both questioning parties with a tired lilt in his voice. They were both worn out and this questioning driving Illusory's discomfort higher was doing nothing for either of them. He felt the need to protect her from this distress, but what was he to do that wouldn't just raise more questions?

“Right,” Jazz agreed after a moment of silence. “Sorry, Lu. Just doesn't seem like ya.”

Illusory vented, but didn't say anything more.

 


	29. Event Twenty Nine

Event Twenty-Nine

~

_Safety is an illusion. It is a scattered idea of perceived protection from that which can do the worst damage._

~

 

They reached the place where Tibs and his small crew had set up in due time. A class was currently doing a 'walk through' of the lab; something that the team had worked out with the college as part of the co-education program they were setting up. Most students were oblivious to the technology they were seeing, only here because it was required, while some were so overwhelmed that they could hardly control themselves.

“And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the next wave in bio-mechanical experimentation!” Tibs announced happily waving over his cluttered table of parts.

Jazz's holoform trotted easily into the small crowd of college students, a mischievous look on his face. “Looks like slag!” He announced, hidden within.

“Trouble,” Illusory grumbled as she came to stand just beyond the crowd. “Mech is nothing but trouble.”

Charlie and Scatterblade slid up beside the femme, the human woman stifling a fit of giggles at the small mech's antics.

“Slag?” Tibs responded to the word before recognizing the familiarity it was used with. “The only thing that's slag around here is your sad excuse for a vehicle, sir!”

“Hey! That baby's in top shape!” The mech held out his hand as Tibs came over to shake it.

“How's it goin'? I didn't know you were coming into town.”

“Had ta make uh delivery ta th' locals,” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder to where the others were standing.

“Hello, Mr. Tiegan.” Illusory greeted.

“Showing off your geek van?” Charlie quipped, trotting up beside Jazz.

The students looked thoroughly confused by the sudden change in focus, but calmly stood around to wait until their current guide wanted their attention again. Some took the liberty to explore on their own.

“Of course!” Tibs answered with enthusiasm. “Can't just let it sit here and not get admired. What brings you guys up here?”

“Ah thought Ah'd check in with ya. Base asked meh ta report back,” Jazz explained.

“Oh! Well, let me finish up here and we can talk.” Tibs turned back to the students and continued his tour, his enthusiasm for what he was showing them not dimmed at all by his desire visit with the 'bots and Charlie.

“He's definitely in his element,” Charlie stated with amusement.

“Seems like it,” Scatterblade agreed.

“I suppose it is not every day he gets the opportunity to show off the things he has that no one else can have to people who may , or may not, care.” Illusory said rather plainly. While she was impressed by what the technology could do for the humans, she wasn't overall thrilled by the technology itself. It was all rather basic as far as she was concerned; as far as most any Cybertronian would be concerned really, but it was a large step forward for the humans.

“True,” Charlie conceded, looking at all the stuff everywhere. It was some kind of organized chaos stuffed to the brim with things she didn't even comprehend what they might be for, let alone what they could achieve.

Jazz poked around for a while, but soon found the lab to be rather basic and a little too reminiscent of Wheeljack's lab back on base. “Ah'd swear these two were related if they weren't different species,” the mech stated with an amused huff.

“Jazz, please, watch what you say,” Illusory scolded after a few students spared him a curious glance.

Charlie smiled nervously as the students passed by. “You're louder than 'Blade.”

“Hey!” The dark haired holoform pouted.

Jazz just laughed and waved cheerily at the students; most passed him off as just 'weird' but one or two kept a wary eye on him and those associating with him.

Once everyone had their fill, or had been chased off, Tibs returned to the small group.

“Good to see you all,” he greeted happily. “Let's go to the back where we can talk in private.”

Everyone followed Tibs's lead, all breathing a small sigh of relief that the lab was less crowded now that the students had left.

There was a small area designed for sitting; possibly for study, for conferences, or just to sit in, and Tibs waved that they each take a seat. Jazz took no time swinging a chair around to sit in backwards, Tibs sitting across from the energetic mech and Illusory claiming a chair with a wall directly behind her. Scatterblade sat to her left and Charlie on her right, flanking the still edgy femme to offer some form of comfort; even if Charlie didn't know what for.

“So, what have you been up to out here?” Charlie asked, glancing out at the rather haphazard looking lab.

“We've had the opportunity to do a ton of introductory research with some of the prosthetic research facilities around here. Nothing on par with Charlie, but still; we couldn't exactly just slap all of this at them and not expect to have to come up with some inventive answers. Best to take the slow and easy route.”

“Definitely true,” the redhead laughed. “Glad to see you're keeping busy. I thought you'd go crazy in this bus with nothing to do.”

“Oh no, this thing,” he patted one wall affectionately, “is home away from home...well, it's more home than the away from tell you the truth. But at any rate, we keep busy around here.”

“Cool. I'm still looking for a job that works around school,” she mumbled, no small amount of annoyance at the fact in her tone, “but, I get to move in with Blade and Lu!” Her mood immediately lifted once more.

“Move in? Where?” Tibs turned to the two mentioned 'bots, curiosity clear on his face.

“Oh, yes. We guilt a home near the beach with a human facade to cover it; Charlie has agreed to live within the facade. It will make it real and as well as keep good company nearby.”

“That sounds...strange,” the man shook his head. “Living in a facade?”

“Its a house above theirs,” Charlie smiled as she explained.

“Oh! Okay, that doesn't sound quite so awkward,” Tibs laughed.

“It is equivalent to any standard human based home; it would not do to have a facade that could be easily seen through.”

“Yeah,” Jazz added. “That's th' statistical way ta say it...” he teased. “Besides that, it's uh pretty nice little beach house if ya ask meh.”

“Totally!” Charlie agreed. “You did a great job!”

“It is still incomplete,” Illusory pointed out.

Jazz shook his head. “Ah swear, ya gotta be from th' same creators as Prowl. Focusing on all th' wrong points, femme! Ya got uh beautiful home, uh great companion,” he waved his hand to Charlie, “an' uh great bond-mate. Be happy.”

“I am happy!” She retorted sharply. “I am simply pointing out that things will be better in a few more orns.”

Scatterblade grinned, placing his hand on hers. “Jazz is just trying to loosen you up a little. I know you're happy, you're excited. Jazz just thinks you should show it a bit more enthusiastically.”

“Some of us do not exactly know how to be so...open,” she grumbled softly, though a flutter of excitement struck her spark and a smile found its way to her faceplates. “It's just so...new.”

Jazz laughed, enjoying seeing even the slightest joy cross the femme's features for the first time since he had arrived. “Next thing ya know, there'll be lil' ones runnin' around causin' all kinds'a havoc. Might as well enjoy this quiet time.”

Scatterblade only just managed to keep his laugh inside, merely continuing to grin and soaking in the joy coming off of his femme, ignoring Jazz's jibes.

Illusory, however, practically lost control of her holoform at the statement. She knew better than to say anything or Jazz would know. Then again, as Scatterblade had said before, would it be so bad? Sharing their good news shouldn't be such a fearful thing to her, yet still a part of her simply refused to relent. “Yeah, s-someday...” she stammered.

“Little ones? Really?” Charlie tried not to squeal with her excitement over the prospect.

“That would be great!” Tibs bounced in his seat, only just managing to control himself at the unexpected news that the pair had bonded. “A new generation of Cybertronians born right here on Earth?!”

The pure panic that came over Illusory at that point was visible even in her holoform.

“'S matter, Lu?” Jazz asked, leaning over the table to look at the femme a little closer. “Yer holoform went all pale. Ah didn't even know they could do that.”

“N-nothing,” the femme fidgeted slightly, feeling a little trapped where she was. “Ah'll be back,” she muttered as the holoform vanished.

“Lu!” Jazz called, confused and concerned by her reaction. He turned to Scatterblade for some kind of explanation. “Yer femme's actin' awfully strange, mech. What's goin' on?”

“Was it something I said?” Tibs asked nervously.

Scatterblade studied those around him for a moment before letting his own holoform dissipate. ::Lu, hey, are you alright?::

::Ah'm fine...just feeling a little overwhelmed is all.:: The femme assured her mate. She wasn't used to the level of self awareness she currently had. She had always been very careful to keep herself out of harms way, to know where she was and where those around her were, but for some reason she couldn't entirely explain other than she was now carrying, she suddenly felt hyper aware of everything and skittish. ::I think maybe I should return home. Will you watch after Charlie?::

::Of course,:: he obliged. ::Go make yourself comfortable. Comm if you need anything.::

With a thankful ping to her mate, the femme turned for home, a faint wave of relief washing over her.

“What's goin' on?” Jazz asked from the door of the lab. He had come to investigate what had set off the femme and was surprised to see her leaving. Charlie and Tibs had followed behind and looked just as confused to see the white Tiburon driving away.

Scatterblade reestablished his holoform and let it get out of the car for appearance sake. “She's okay. Just feeling a little strained.”

“What's causing the strain?” Tibs asked worriedly as he joined the others. “Is there something we can do to help?”

“Space,” the mech said with confidence. “She just wanted some space.”

“We make her mad?” Jazz pushed, still sensing something was glaring at him and he simply wasn't seeing it. Not a feeling he was at all comfortable with.

“No,” Scatterblade assured them all. “She's not mad, she's really eager to get our house finished. Guess she just let the stress build up, that's all.”

“Ah see,” Jazz nodded, though he still didn't look convinced. “Well, its uh good thing Ah'm gonna stick around uh few days an' help finish up. Maybe she'll stop stressin' so much.”

“If there is anything I can do,” Tibs offered, “I would be glad to help out too.”

“Three,” Charlie grinned. “Lucky you.”

The black front-liner smiled gratefully. “Thanks guys.”

“No problem,” Tibs cheered happily.

“Yeah,” Jazz agreed. “That's what friends are for.”

“Absolutely,” Charlie agreed.

Scatterblade nodded, accepting the statements with welcome. “So,” he said with a heavy sigh, “what is everyone up to doing?”

“Well, I'm pretty well done for the day, that was the last tour tonight.” Tibs waved back toward the lab and to where a few students were still milling around. “I just need to lock up and I'm free.”

“Ah'd really lie ta see th' place,” Jazz said as he looked around. “Ah mean, th' whole place, not just th' university.”

“Sounds good to me,” Charlie beamed. “We can go to the boardwalk!”

“I could show Jazz the PCH,” Scatterblade said with a knowing grin. “Pacific Coast Highway. Scenic and fast.”

“Ah like fast!” The mech practically crowed his agreement.

“Thought you would,” he laughed. “Let's say we drop off these two and head on up?”

“Sounds great,” the saboteur agreed, turning to see if the humans liked the idea.

“I like the boardwalk,” Tibs agreed.

“Cool!” Charlie practically bounced with eagerness.

Scatterblade got into his 'car', opening the passenger door for Charlie.

Jazz cuffed Tibs on the shoulder, indicating that he was going to ride with him. The scientist was all too eager to get a ride from the silver Solstice.

The trip to the boardwalk was quick, though enjoyable. Scatterblade raced with Jazz and tried to keep the speed limit at the same time. Charlie laughed the entire time, clutching her seat belt with every turn they took a little too quickly.

Jazz made sport of the run; it would be easy enough to ignore the speed limit all together and pour on all his speed, but with a human passenger he kept closer to the speed limit.

Scatterblade nearly missed his exit, so enthralled with the pseudo-race. Pulling into the lane quickly, he offered a quick; “Sorry,” and slowed for the red light.

Jazz spun into the turn with a loud screech of his tires, but didn't seem perturbed by it at all. “No problem.” He was built for tougher moves than that anyway.

Pulling into the street, Scatterblade grew excited. There were so many people here! He knew it was still really cold for this area and not a lot of people would be in the water, but they were all over the boardwalk. There were small vendors set up selling trinkets; colored clothes, and accessories. People rode bicycles and roller blades, and walked or sat to talk or play music, just enjoying themselves in the warm sun.

“It's always so lively here,” Tibs said happily.

Jazz agreed with a rev of his engine; completely absorbing the activity around him. “Way better than the base.”

Scatterblade found a parking spot and his holoform stepped out. “You could spend all day here,” he chuckled in awe.

“That's exactly what some guys do,” Charlie stepped out of the car. “There's even an amusement park on one of the piers.”

“Ya'll know how ta waste some time havin' fun,” Jazz laughed.

Tibs couldn't help a cheeky smile. “Call it a knack; we never have enough time but we sure find good ways to waste it.”

Charlie shrugged, not ashamed in the slightest. “Definitely a knack,” she agreed.

Jazz's holoform did a little dance, displaying his excitement. “Ah'm not complainin' one bit.”

“Do you think you wanna go find some rides?” Charlie asked the guys, her grin nearly split her face. It was always exciting to be on the boardwalk, but having people new to it all; aliens at that! It was a whole new level of exhilarating.

“What'da'ya think, 'Blade? We can race later, wanna enjoy some human style fun?”

The mech pumped his fist with eagerness. “Yes! Let's go!”

Tibs had grown accustomed to most of the Autobots on base; they all had different personalities and were unique in their own way, but he hadn't had the opportunity to work with Jazz as close as he had to mechs like Wheeljack and Ratchet. He found the change rather...nice. Charlie was also excited to have Jazz with them. She had loved being on base and meeting all the 'bots, but getting to know them well wasn't very easy. She was eager to have the chance to get to know another awesome mech. Having a chance to hang out with Tibs didn't hurt either.

Jazz thoroughly enjoyed the place; being loud and gaining attention. Crowds tended to gather around the group to see what was so entertaining, or to cheer them on in whatever they were doing. Charlie played some games and cheered as Scatterblade shot ducks, and other targets at various stalls. The day was easily wasted as they went on. Tibs stayed close to Charlie the whole time.

Even as things were calming down, Jazz still seemed as though he would go on forever. Scatterblade was about to ask if they could do one more activity when he saw how tired and glazed over Charlie looked; Tibs not too much better himself. “Not as durable these two,” he chuckled to Jazz, pointing at the weary humans. “Ready to get going?”

“Yeah, should get them home,” Jazz agreed.

“Ready to head back, Charlie?” Scatterblade asked, gaining the redhead's attention.

“Home?” She asked, trying to clarify.

“Yup,” he smiled, already ushering the pair toward the exit.

“Yeah,” Tibs laughed, “it's probably about that time.”

“Ya wanna take Charlie, an' Ah'll take Tibs?” Jazz asked. “We can meed back later fer uh little racin' if yer still up fer it.”

“Absolutely,” Scatterblade said, nudging Charlie along. “Come on, Charlie. Let's get you home.”

“Alright,” she consented with a yawn.

Tibs offered a tired goodbye to the other two, then followed Jazz's holoform back to his alt.

“It was fun, Charlie,” Jazz waved. “Catch ya later!”

“Yeah, I had a blast! See ya later, Jazz! Bye Tibs!”

Jazz took off with a little flourish, though he kept his pace slightly slower this time around; minding his exhausted passenger.

The black Bonneville sped after him, careful to keep watch on speed and traffic. He knew better than to be careless at night.

::Hey, 'Blade?:: Jazz called as he pulled off to take Tibs back to the university. ::Why don't ch'a ask yer femme if she want's ta join us? Maybe burn off some steam?::

He hesitated. Would she be up to it? Or would she be upset? He vented, only one way to find out. ::Hey, 'Lu. How are you feeling?::

The other end of the link clicked a few times as though the femme were attempting to connect, then sat silent.

The strangeness of the comm sent a shock of alarm through the mech. ::'Lu? Lu, what's wrong?::

Again there was a click followed by silence, then another comm pinged Scatterblade. It was an unfamiliar one with a rather urgent stamp to it. The message was simple; ::We have your femme. Come get her.::

Slamming on his brakes he squealed to the side of the road. “Jazz!” He shouted aloud, terror gripping at his spark.

Charlie clung to the seat, shouting in surprise. “What the heck did you do that for?!” Her exhaustion was gone, banished in the face of adrenaline.

Jazz knew something was very wrong at the tone of Scatterblade's voice even as it carried to him over the sound of traffic. ::What's up 'Blade?:: all joke and play was gone from his voice, the vorns of war and being the third in command under Prime shining through clearly.

Scatterblade ignored his passenger, anger seeping into the shock and fear. ::Someone answered Lu's comm.:: his engine roared back to life and he sped toward home, determined to find and destroy whomever had been foolish enough to touch _his_ mate.

::'Blade!:: Jazz snapped, obedience demanded in his tone. ::Take Charlie somewhere safe first.:: Jazz's own engine purred with stirring emotions as he pulled back on the road, intending to deliver his passenger home.

“What is going on?” Tibs asked a little nervously after the sudden stop.

“Seems uh situation has come up. Gonna take ya home, then gotta run.”

“What kind of situation?”

“Not sure yet.”

Scatterblade felt an urge to just keep going; he didn't care what Jazz said, his femme was in danger and she needed him now. Still, she had asked him to watch over Charlie and he had no idea what kind of trouble they might be facing. He gave the saboteur a confirming ping and returned to his original course to return the woman home.

“'Blade, what's going on?” Charlie asked, tightening her seat belt. She was pretty sure she could feel tremors running through her seat, but that might very well have been her.

“I don't know,” he said shortly.

Charlie felt a twinge of worry start to tear into an ever present gap that existed wherever her alien friends were concerned, allowing the feeling to flood her. “It'll be okay, whatever it is. It'll be okay,” she said confidently, though she wasn't sure her words would be any comfort to the mech.

“Slag right it will,” he growled determinedly.

Jazz made a quick job of dropping off Tibs and heading for the beach house. ::'Blade, talk ta meh. Ya know who it was? What'd they say?::

Scatterblade dropped Charlie off with a quick promise to let her know what happened as soon as he could. ::Jazz, I don't know who it was. They just said 'we have her, come get her'.:: He took heavy intakes of air to help him not let his fury out on his friend and senior officer. He looped back onto the road and sped home; speed limits be damned.

::Slag,:: the mech groaned. ::Could be anyone, but Ah'd venture to guess it's 'Cons. Usually is.::

::It's so much worse than just that,:: Scatterblade's voice trembled before he could catch himself.

::'Lu's dealt with 'Con's before, 'Blade. It isn't th' best o' situations, but she's strong. We'll find her.::

::Jazz, you don't understand,:: the front-liner lamented with a growl, ::she's...she's carrying our sparkling. I've put them both in danger and I wasn't even there to protect them!::

Jazz felt his innards turn to ice, his engine stalling. ::She's what?”

::She's carrying our sparkling,:: he repeated hopelessly. ::I shouldn't have left her alone. I shouldn't have let her leave...:: he rambled, anger and despair building. He was angry at whomever had done this, angry at not thinking about protecting his family. He was so very angry with himself.

::Okay, okay,:: the saboteur tried to keep his voice calm. ::They don't know that, she'll be fine. We'll find her before they can do anything.::

Scatterblade was silent for a full breem as they drove toward the house. He didn't want to take it out on Jazz, the mech was there to help him. It wasn't his fault. ::Right,:: he vented finally. ::We will.::

Arriving at the house, they found no external evidence of a struggle. There weren't even any tracks that indicated Illusory had reached their home on her return trip.

“Ah don't think she came back here,” Jazz suggested.

Scatterblade shook with his anger, but kept his voice calm enough to speak. “Let's see if we can find where she was last.”

“Head back th' way sh'd have come. See if we can find where she deviated. If they told ya ta come get her, they want ya ta find where she was at least.” Jazz tried to keep his tone commanding, but sympathetic. Things seemed suddenly much clearer to him and he didn't envy Scatterblade one bit being in his current position.

As they backtracked, they came across a spot that looked like a car had been pushed off the road. 

“There,” Jazz pointed out.

The terrain was rough but drive-able. It seemed pretty clear from the tracks that Illusory had attempted to run, but hadn't made it far. The tracks ended very suddenly.

“Fliers,” Jazz cursed under his breath. “Lets spread out, look fer some clue.”

Scatterblade cycled more air to keep himself from fuming at the saboteur as he started to search the brush.

It took some time but Scatterblade finally came across a postcard, stuck in a small island of sand surrounded by old, congealed energon. The card showed many green trees and rolling hills. It simply proclaimed; 'Come to Oregon!'

“Jazz,” the mech called, his voice trembling with anger. He gingerly lifted the card, a churning in his tanks at the liquid spilled around it.

Jazz came to where Scatterblade was, his own anger boiling just beneath the surface. “We know where ta head,” he said tightly. “Ah'll contact Optimus.” He turned away to give Scatterblade some privacy for a moment.

Scatterblade stared at the ground, trying hard not to see the energon. He clenched his fists, pain percolating at his spark, illness twisting his tanks. How could this happen? He was supposed to protect her; not only was it his job – his mission – but she was _his mate_! This was the prisoner mission all over again. He had let himself get comfortable and they had slipped in to destroy his world...again. He tried to shake it from his processor, but he couldn't. He was going to lose her because he hadn't been paying attention. Venting brokenly, a tired angry sound escaped him.

“Optimus is sending uh team ta meet up with us there. Try 'n contact 'em again.”

“What?” Scatterblade had nearly forgotten Jazz was there at all. Turning to look at him he saw understanding but also a determination that wouldn't go unheeded. “Yeah, okay.” Venting again to calm himself, he attempted to contact Illusory again.

The line clicked like before several times before there was any response. ::'Blade?:: The femme's voice trembled. ::Don't come,:: she begged raggedly, ::Its ah tra...::

::Sneaky,:: the unfamiliar voice cut in. ::Your femme's got some spunk...and a few tricks it seems. Better hurry before it gets her deactivated.::

::You hurt her, you're dead,:: he said simply, opening the comm so Jazz could hear both ends of the conversation.

The voice laughed. ::Threaten me? That's wise.:: There was a klik of silence before a torn scream filled the link. ::There. Now, come make good on your threat...or try to.::

Scatterblade's spark froze and he felt on the edge of glitching and offlining. He felt his knees buckle beneath him and he fell heavy to the ground.

“'Blade!” Jazz moved to steady the mech. “Focus, we need somethin' ta go on. Keep talkin' ta him.”

::What do you want?:: Scatterblade asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

::You,:: the mech answered easily. ::We weren't done with you.::

“Of course,” he growled. ::Oregon's not very specific,:: he muttered, attempting to keep focused.

::Get there, then contact me. We'll come to you.::

::I'm not going to assume you're going to let her go,:: he said flatly.

::Does it matter?:: The mech laughed again before cutting the connection.

“We'll get her back,” Jazz promised, “an' we'll make sure they pay.” His voice was dark, dangerous, promising of things a 'bot couldn't even imagine in their worst processes.

Scatterblade vented heavily, as if the call had weighed on him physically and it was now off him. His anger pushed him to his feet and he locked optics with Jazz. “You ready to head out?”

Giving a curt nod in answer, Jazz turned for the road. “Let's get 'em,” he growled.

Scatterblade took a few running steps and transformed mid-air, hitting the ground with his engines roaring and sped off, Jazz right behind him. They needed to hurry, speed limits and other basic road rules just didn't matter. They were forced to outrun local law enforcement as they went, but that didn't matter either. There was a life on the line; _three_ lives on the line, a good soldier, a friend, and one barely even starting. There was no way Jazz was going to let that happen.

They made it to the rolling hills of Oregon just as the rest of the Autobots deployed commed in that they were reaching California and would meet with them in a few hours. ::Better make it fast,:: Jazz said with a sinister edge, ::we're already here.::

Scatterblade drove off the main road and into some trees where they would be hidden from view and transformed to his root mode. This wasn't the best of fighting grounds, but remembering the last fight he had in Logan Canyon, he was sure he could do it here too.

Jazz followed him from the road, then as soon as he transformed paused. “Ah'm gonna find some high ground ta keep watch.”

“Sounds good,” the front-liner agreed, not really listening. His processor was fixed on one single thing. His scanners were on high searching for his opponent, his hands itching to deploy his blades and relieve some of his anger.

When the other team signaled that they were close, Jazz commed Scatterblade. ::Contact him, see if ya can't draw him out.::

::So, where are you hiding?:: Scatterblade demanded over the comm, anger filling his voice.

::Here already, huh? Femme must mean a lot to you,:: he laughed, ::and here she's been begging for you to stay away. No matter. I will come to you, stay where you are.::

“No problem there,” he growled, ignoring the mech's jabs. He looked around and spotted a rock jutting out of the side of a hill. Crouching down behind it he waited for the mech, his battle programs humming, providing different scenarios and the best way to handle them.

The roar of a large engine announced the approach of the mech, turbines forcing the trees to bend under their power. When the mech finally settled among the trees he was already on his feet, looking as though he might challenge Optimus for height.

The front-liner actually flinched at the mass of the mech, but he tightened his grip on his swords and waited. He wasn't about to make the first move.

“Come on out, project. There is no use in delaying the inevitable.” There was the clear sound of a plasma cannon charging, along with the sound of some kind of rifle type weapon loading a charge.

“Not until I know where she is,” he growled, charging his own blasters and shoulder guns.

“She's safe, for now.”

“You're pretty considerate for a 'Con,” he quipped. “Not attacking me when you had the chance.”

“Whats the fun in blowing you to pieces before you run? Besides, if I was out to deactivate you, I'd have brought your femme's sparkless frame with me.”

Scatterblade's rage exploded and he jumped from his spot with a roar, his swords showing menacingly with too much energy. He struck hard hoping to sever an arm.

The large mech grunted at the strike, the sword gouging deeply into his arm and frying a few circuits, but not severing it. Energon gushed for a moment before his systems cut the flow to the damaged area. “Ah, that got you, didn't it?” He teased as he rounded on the smaller angry mech. He aimed his rifle, but just as he fired, another blast hit his aiming hand, knocking the weapon aside as the charge let loose. With a snarl, the mech searched the darkened trees for the second attacker. “You brought friends. I shouldn't be surprised.”

“I'm your fight,” Scatterblade roared, slashing once more, this time at the flier's wings and back.

The mech bellowed in pain as the front-liner damaged his wings. He turned and kicked out at the smaller mech, trying to get some distance from him. “It's hardly a fight, project. It's little more than a game!”

Scatterblade barely dodged, getting scrapped from the offending appendage. “You think I care what you think?” He quipped, letting this joke keep him from acting out in anger blindly.

“No. I don't think you give a slag about what I think, but I know what you do care about...” with a dark grin he replayed the sound of Illusory's scream, along with a few bits of her begging Scatterblade not to come after her.

Jazz fired three more shots at the large mech, knocking him slightly off balance.

“GAH!” The flier shouted as he stumbled. “Your friends are going to get her terminated, project! Call them off!”

Scatterblade attacked before he heard what the mech had said.

The large mech dodged and avoided most of Scatterblade's hits, but a few struck, causing minor damages along both legs. With a snarl, the large mech fired his own weapon at Scatterblade's back, not intending to deactivate him, but definitely meant to damage.

The blast caught him mid twist to strike again. It threw him back into a tree, knocking his senses off for a klik.

“You want your femme mech?” The flier aimed his rifle again. “Put down your weapons and come with me. I'll show you where she is...” there was a dark sarcasm to the mech's tone; something far more sinister lingering just behind his words.

Scatterblade hid behind another tree to gather himself again. ::Jazz, where's that back up?:: He was desperate for something.

::They're comin', just keep him busy...ya alright?::

::Little banged up but I have no idea if he's bluffing about being able to hurt Lu right now,:: he spoke his real fear. ::I've already got her hurt. I don't want to have it happen again.:: His words were thick with a plea to a higher power.

::We'll get her,:: Jazz promised, even as he unleashed another round of shots at the larger mech.

“Dirty fighting Autobots!” The large mech cursed as he rounded to where Jazz had fired from. “Fight me face to face you piece of slag!”

“We'll fight you face to face!” A new voice crowed as several engines roaring announced the arrival of the other team. Sideswipe was already in his root mode and launched himself into the air at the larger mech, his twin hot on his heals and going for a low blow.

Ironhide unleashed a calculated hailstorm at the beast before him that blinded the mech to the attacking front-liners and knocked him off balance so the smaller mechs' attack would be more effective. Scatterblade easily integrated himself into the fight, his anger boiling beyond anything he could imagine, his blaster and swords working at every opportunity given.

The large flier soon found himself overpowered and made a run for it.

“Ah don't think so!” Jazz shouted as he leaped from his hiding place onto the mech's back. He did his best to avoid the grabbing hands as he attempted to hack the mech's processor. “Yer gonna tell us where Lu is!”

“Like Pit I will! I'll have her deactivated first!” The mech growled.

Scatterblade ran and jumped off Jazz's hiding spot, launching himself into the air. He kicked at the Con's back with both feet, using the momentum to flip and land, swords at the ready.

The mech grunted with the impact and stumbled. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were quick to follow Scatterblade's lead, likewise jumping on the larger mech's back, further unbalancing him. He fell, finally, though the second he hit the ground he struggled to free himself of his attackers, tucking his wings in close and rolling. The two front-liners abandoned their position to get a better one, Jazz stayed stubbornly planted where he was; taking the pressure of being crushed beneath the larger body. 

Ironhide finally joined in, planting his much heavier foot in the small of the flier's back as he rolled. “Sit still and tell us what we want to know,” he snarled.

“Go to the Pit,” the large mech growled back.

Scatterblade came to the mech's head and laid a blade on either side like scissors ready to cut. “Where is she?” He growled.

The mech laughed. It was a dark, self amused laugh. “I'll tell you where she is,” he promised, “but she'll be terminated long before you get there...”

“Ah'm in,” Jazz announced as his hack finally connected.

“Care to revise before I give you a shave?” Scatterblade warned, scraping the two blades against the mech's neck.

“You're not going to let me live,” he spat, “I might as well enjoy the last kliks of my function. That femme will be deactivated...here, listen...” the mech opened a comm and the still, forested hills were suddenly filled with screams of pain. The whole time the mech continued to laugh.

Scatterblade nearly dropped his weapons as the sound pierced through his processor. He shut his optics and tried to cut his audios, but he just froze. His femme, his love, was screaming in pain and it was his fault.

“Ah got it!” Jazz announced curtly, disconnecting from the large flier none too gently, breaking the mech's laughter for a moment.

Ironhide couldn't take the sound, his cannon let loose before he could think about not firing his weapon. The charge burned directly through the mech's back and sparkcase, then seared deep into the ground beneath him. Silence resumed.

Jazz patted Scatterblade's shoulder cautiously, aware of the mech's weapons and the torment inside of him at the moment. “Come on, we gotta get ta her quick.”

The black mech took a few kliks to pull himself back and sheathed his swords before he looked up to Jazz, his optics distant and angry. “Let's go,” he murmured.

The team moved together, Jazz quickly taking the lead with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker flanking Scatterblade, and Ironhide bringing up the rear. Their trek took the group nearly two joors, their destination a on old logging mill. It was dilapidated and falling apart.

“This is it,” Jazz stated.

“Fan out, find Illusory,” Ironhide snapped, instantly turning for a perimeter sweep.

The twins shot forward to search the building. Jazz stood where he was carefully taking in everything around them. “It's too quiet,” he stated tensely.

Scatterblade heard Jazz's warning, but moved forward anyway. He couldn't stand idle; if she was here somewhere, he was going to find her. He headed toward the river that ran along the side of the mill to see if anyone was on the other side, or if there were any tracks to follow. He spotted an old stone bridge that crossed over the river and moved cautiously across it, unsure if it was strong enough to support his weight.

Jazz turned for the far side of the mill opposite Scatterblade. Just as he was starting to search in earnest for any viable place the femme could have been stashed, a deep rumbling sound started, then turned into a louder roar as the main structure collapsed in on itself, spewing dust and rocks into the air like some twisted sort of volcano.

The Bonneville felt his spark sink and he scrambled back across the bridge to the ruins. Digging through the rubble he hoped the twins hadn't been there when it collapsed. He hoped Illusory hadn't been there either. 

 


	30. Event Thirty

Event Thirty

~

_Pain is an illusion scattering your thoughts...pain is an illusion scattering your thoughts..._

~

 

Ironhide came rushing back from his search, straining through the cloud of dust that consumed the area. “Report!” He shouted.

“Mill collapsed!” Jazz shouted. ::Sides? Sunny? Report!::

Scatterblade continued to dig, hoping to hear some positive response. Ironhide jumped in, helping the black front-liner move some of the larger rubble. Time ticked by slowly, painfully slow as they waited for some kind of response.

::We're here...:: came Sunstreaker's strained reply.

::Where?:: Ironhide growled, still hauling rubble away.

The front-liner grunted with effort. ::Not sure...we went down...::

::Locator, Sunny, turn it on!:: Jazz demanded as he looked for some clue as to where he could offer the best assistance.

A few kliks later the signal lit up on their scanners.

The three mechs continued to move debris, Scatterblade trying hard to swallow the panic that had been rising within him for the better part of the night. When they finally reached the two front-liners, the mechs looked pretty banged up. They had been lucky enough to get under a strong support beam that, while it had slowly been crushing them, saved them from most of the damage they could have suffered from the initial collapse. Sideswipe was suffering from a heavy blow to his head, damaging his comms and a few other base systems, but he was still functional.

“It was a trap,” the silver front-liner growled as he staggered to his feet. “Rigged to go off when someone came through.”

Scatterblade felt an icy shock hit him. “She's..not here?”

“Not that we saw,” Sunstreaker grumbled as he tried to wipe the dirt from his frame. “If she was...” he spared Scatterblade a look that might have been considered sympathetic, though coming from Sunstreaker, it was difficult to tell.

Scatterblade shuddered but forced the thought to the back of his processor. They had to make sure the twins were safe first.

“Slagging 'Cons,” Ironhide rumbled darkly.

Jazz shook his head slowly. “Shoulda known they'd have sent uh mech that didn't really know anythin'.” He turned to Scatterblade. “Was that th' same one that hacked Lu's comm?”

“I...don't know,” the mech said shortly.

“Try contactin' him again.”

Venting heavily to cool his stressed systems, Scatterblade tried opening a comm to Illusory again. The link clicked a few times than sat silent.

::Lu?:: He asked tentatively.

The link clicked several times then dropped silent again. Then there was a high pitched squeal of interference but a soft voice echoed through the link; the words lost in the noise; only 'Please,' coming through clear enough to understand.

Scatterblade held his head with one hand, having a hard time focusing through his panic. “I can't...I'm not getting...it's not clear but it's something,” he finally managed.

“Keep hold o' it!” Jazz slid up to the black front-liner. “Ah'm gonna tap ya, it'll feel weird, but it'll be nicer than uh hack. Ah'll see if ah can't clear it up, okay?”

“I'll try,” the younger mech said, concentrating on keeping the communication open.

The saboteur quickly tapped into the mech's systems; grunting at the pitch of the sounds feeding into the link. It took him a few breems, but the noise started to fade and the soft pleas became clearer. “...don't come after me...please, stay away. It's ah trap; they're gonna kill ya...”

“Oh, Primus,” Scatterblade's frame shook and he was struggling to stay on his feet.

“Hey,” Jazz offered some support, “she's alive, focus on that.”

It took a few kliks longer than it should have, but the mech nodded and tried to get through to his mate. ::'Lu. We're coming. I'm going to find you. I promise.::

::No!:: The amount of panic and despair in the femme's voice was heavy. ::No, don't!::

The link suddenly went silent and there was a deep laughter. ::You survived, I see. Good for you. Not so good for her.::

::Where are you?:: Scatterblade growled.

::Close,:: he teased. ::Maybe you can follow her screams...:: he laughed.

“Jazz, they're close,” he tried hard to keep his rage from lashing out at his friend. “Do something.”

“Slag,” Jazz looked around as if he could see the mech standing out in the open somehow.

“'Con's playing games with us!” Ironhide rumbled.

“Lets start looking,” Sideswipe suggested.

Sunstreaker huffed. “Yeah, like we just started looking in the mill? That ended well.”

“We need more,” Jazz lamented. “There's just too much slag in th' area ta make uh good guess.”

::Cut the slag,:: Scatterblade hissed, desperation stabbing at him, ::where is she?::

::Here,:: the mech laughed as he opened the link further, ::she knows where she is, why don't you make her tell you?::

::Can't come to you if I can't find you,:: he growled.

::Oh, I think you'll find me eventually. The question is; will it be soon enough?::

::No! No, don't come after meh, 'Blade! Stay away!::

::Seems she doesn't want to be found...what a shame. Pretty little thing. Oh well, all hail Megatron!:: Another pained scream filled the link. ::Did you hear that? Should I do it again?::

Scatterblade felt like he was going to purge, but he pushed the feeling down. He had to concentrate. “Jazz, can you figure out where these are coming from?” He sounded much more beaten than the small skirmish from before should have left him.

“Ah can try...but it won't be nice; its th' same thing he's doin' ta her...”

The black front-liner vented, again pushing the sick feeling in his tanks back. “We need to find her. _I_ need to find her,” he begged desperately.

“Alright, sit.” Jazz guided the mech to a stable bit of ground and had him sit. “Ya will feel uh dizzy sensation, an' prolly some pain, but Ah'll do muh best ta be gentle.” With that, Jazz dove in through the link he had established previously to try and clear the comm signal. There was a moment when nothing happened, then all at once Scatterblade felt as if he had been thrown into an abyss, spinning and falling wildly out of control. Searing pain tore through his processor like hot a energon blade, going into the deepest parts of his consciousness. He could feel his comms all activate at once, then blink out in procession as Jazz searched out the right one. It took less than a klik for the whole process but felt like an eternity. Then, as Jazz found the appropriate link, the mech felt like it was being torn out of him physically and ripping his processor apart at the same time. His vocalizer froze, but his processor screamed enough to make up for it. The pressure that built inside him nearly crumbled what consciousness he had left.

“Ah'm almost there 'Blade, just hang on...”

Despite all this pain and disorientation he saw, no felt...there was a warmth...it was more like a mix of the two and he could have sworn he felt/saw Illusory standing before him. He tried to reach for her, he had to reach her.

“That's it!” Jazz encouraged. “Hang on, kid.”

It took a few more kliks before Jazz felt the edges of the other end of the hack...and the presence that was there waiting.

::Thought you could just walk yourself in, did you?:: The mech rumbled in a disapproving voice. ::I didn't expect this...::

What happened next was a pure battle of skill, the handicap falling heavily on Jazz's end because he cared about the mech he was using for the hack while the mech on the other end simply enjoyed the screams of his victim as he fought back against the intruder.

::We'll find ya, ya piece o' slag,:: Jazz growled into the link even as he pulled away. He couldn't handle sacrificing Illusory and Scatterblade to these levels of pain. Even as protected as he had tried to keep Scatterblade, the mech's processor was likely going to ache for orns.

“Sorry 'bout that, kid,” Jazz apologized, both for the pain he inflicted and for what he had to hear Illusory going through.

Scatterblade heard his voice come back before he had control of his optics again. It came in a strangled cry full of hurt and frustration. He vented heavily, unable to keep back the pain and exhaustion and he fell to his hands and knees as it all washed over him, almost taking him away with it. 

Still, as Scatterblade had reached for the femme, his sparkmate, there was the very distinct sensation of her reaching back desperately, needing something to hold onto even though she begged him to stay away...and the sense lingered even after the hack was broken. He held tightly to that sense of light like a life line.

“Where is the slagger?” Sideswipe demanded.

“Ah can't be certain, he was using Lu as uh shield, but Ah got some stuff. They're in th' hills, somewhere with caves...rocky...Ah'd venture uh guess it's an old quarry somewhere.”

“Helpful,” Sunstreaker snarked, though all of them were already searching for quarries in the region.

Scatterblade remained where he was for several breems, allowing the brunt of the pain to subside. The feeling that came from the light was helping some. He lifted his head, focusing his optics enough that he could push himself back to his feet. He struggled to stay up, his frame shivering slightly, but he stood on his own none-the-less.

“Ya alright?” Jazz watched the mech carefully, staying close just in case. “Yer gonna need ta see Ratch' when all o' this is done kid...”

“Yeah, I will,” he groaned, noting the errors he was already starting to get. “I'll be alright.”

With a nod, the smaller mech patted Scatterblade's shoulder. “Course ya will.”

The team took a few breems to compare notes and thoughts on where they suspected would be best to search for the missing femme; the twins all but demanding they split up and take different locations, but Ironhide stoutly refused.

“You two are damaged enough, I don't want to have to haul your sorry corpses outta more trouble.”

“It's best we stick together,” Jazz agreed, which surprised the other Autobots; Jazz was usually the first to split off on his own. “Mech's playin' games, we separate, we're just easier ta play with.”

Scatterblade agreed, trying to make his voice sound like he wasn't about to go into emergency stasis. “We don't need to split up.”

Once a suitable destination was picked, the team headed out. Ironhide held Scatterblade back a moment as the other three took off. “You really okay?” Honest concern and a deep understanding tinting his voice.

“It hurts, but it's manageable,” he said wincing a little.

“I'm not talking about the hack...I know Jazz took care of you. How's your bond?”

“Bond?” The younger mech was confused for a moment, not quite recognizing the word, then nodded as his processor focused a little more. “I'm not really sure how it is,” he admitted quietly.

Ironhide nodded. “It gets stronger,” he promised.

“She wants me to stay away,” he spoke absently, Illusory's plea echoing through his aching processor.

The older mech made a sound of astonished disbelief. “Femme's...surprising. She wants you to be safe.”

“I know,” he said, distance in his voice. Then he forced himself to focus again. “But I want her to be safe too.”

“Of course you do,” the weapons specialist agreed. “We do too.”

Scatterblade chuckled a little at Ironhide's statement. “You trust her now?”

“Not entirely,” Ironhide admitted, “but, I don't really trust anybody but Prime entirely.”

The younger mech laughed, but winced as the sound caused pain to stab through his processor. “I understand.”

“Take it easy. We got a ways to go to get your femme back, need you here with us, not nursing some processor strain.”

“Don't worry,” he said, shuttering his optics to gain some focus. “I've got it.”

With a grunt, Ironhide focused on their trek to the quarry they had targeted. Once they arrived, they found the place to be rather quiet. There was no evidence of anyone – human or Cybertronian – having been in the area.

“This isn't it,” Sideswipe growled, turning in frustration, prepared to storm off to the next location.

“Hold up,” Jazz ordered as he eased himself down into the pit. “Mech's cleaver, might be smart enough ta cover his tracks.”

Scatterblade was eager to test any and all of the places they came across. He wasn't about to leave without a thorough search.

The more the team moved around the area, the less the twins and Ironhide felt that this was the place they were searching for, but Jazz seemed determined not to give it up. “Place just screams at meh,” he explained when challenged as to why they hadn't moved on when time was so very precious.

A thought came to Scatterblade as he stared blankly at the bland rocks all around him. That sense of light within him was still there, soft and unobtrusive but so very comforting. It reminded him of Illusory...or was Illusory, he wasn't quite sure but at this point he was willing to give anything a chance. 'Lu? Can you hear me?' He wasn't sure how it all worked, but he thought he remembered something about bonded pairs being able to reach out to one another.

'Blade?' The response came as more of a whisper of a thought in the back of his processor; a memory of a memory of a voice.

'Lu!' He latched onto that soft voice immediately. 'I'm so sorry I got you into this!' A rush of relief and guilt bit at his spark. 'Do you know where you are? Anything that can help us find you?' He spoke quickly as if this connection would disappear, or that the mech that hacked Illusory would catch them and stop it.

There was something there; a hope and fear and pleading and wanting all at the same time. 'Please don't...'

Scatterblade poured his desperation and his own pleas back to her. 'I'm not leaving you two behind! I have to get you out of there.'

'He'll terminate you,' there was a distance to her presence that was growing with every klik despite the desperate need to hold on.

Scatterblade grasped at the feeling of her, trying to keep hold of her. 'I love you, Lu! I'm going to find you!'

In a final bow to her need to be found, an image flashed to Scatterblade of a cave marked with black ash and a turned over cart that had been crushed. Then there was nothing but a vague presence, a timid sensation that lingered.

Scatterblade vented and shuttered his optics, trying not to be dragged under by the sense of loss. He hadn't noticed that he had been walking absently around while he reached for her, but stopped now. “Thank you 'Lu,” he whispered gratefully. Immediately he commed the other four bots, ::I think I know where to look.::

There were ready responses from all the mechs searching the area.

“Find somethin'?” jazz asked hopefully from his impossible position half up and half down the steep rock face.

“Look for a cave. It's going to be scared a bit, from fire or something. There's also a smashed mining cart,” he explained as he searched for the clues Illusory had given him.

“How do you know what we're looking for,” Sunstreaker challenged, even as he started looking around the area for the signs.

“Shut up and look,” Ironhide ordered with his normal gruffness.

The search went on in earnest from that point; having something to actually seek out helped all of the mechs put a little more urgency behind the effort. It took a few breems but Sunstreaker called from a secondary quarry in the same location that had obviously been abandoned a long time ago. ::Sideswipe says he's got a crushed cart and a slag ton of burnt...something or other...:: he commed, not wanting to take the chance of alerting anyone in the area that wasn't on his team.

Everyone rushed to the area, eager to move forward in their search. The cave entrance wasn't exactly expansive, Ironhide would have to crouch to get in, but the others would only be minimally inconvenienced. Jazz lead the way, his smaller frame allowing him more agility in the tight space, Scatterblade right behind him, then Sideswipe, followed by Sunstreaker, and Ironhide brought up the rear.

They climbed in deep; the cave opening up to a much more comfortable size after they passed an apparent collapse. The cave walls rose high and sudden pits dropped deep.

“I don't like this,” Ironhide rumbled quietly, though his voice still rolled through the cave like thunder.

“Shh!” Sideswipe demanded, his own nerves showing clearly. Even the daredevil was growing uncomfortable.

Finally, as the temperatures of the cave dropped to a brittle chill, the mechs could hear something. A faint sound that was distorted by the echo through the rest of the cave system.

::What is that?:: Sunstreaker asked over the comm so he wouldn't interrupt the sound, or alert anyone that might be close that they were there.

::Sounds like...:: Jazz tipped his head as he studied the warped sound. ::Someone talking, Ah think.::

'Lu?' Scatterblade reached for that soft presence he now knew was his mate. 'Who's with you?'

There was a momentary sense of panic as the presence of the femme came to full awareness again. 'Ah dunno his designation,' her voice drifted through his processor like an overcharged memory file; slurred and somehow off balance.

'Just one?' He clarified.

'Right now...there have been others, but they're not here now.'

'Good. We may get out of here quick enough,' he said sending encouragement and comfort to her.

'Be careful,' she begged, 'they're lookin' fer you...'

'I will,' he promised, keeping back his angry retort for the bots keeping her from him. He was sure that it would only upset her.

As the bots kept moving, the 'talking' grew louder and a little less distorted.

“...patrol. It's not like they're gonna get here anytime soon,” came a mech's voice as he complained.

“Shut up, already! I'm tired of listening to you whine like a sparkling,” another mech's voice retorted. “At least if we're out here, we don't have to watch what he's doing to that Neutral.”

“Really does seem like a waste,” the first voice agreed.

::Take them out, quietly?:: Scatterblade asked the group, emphasizing on the need for silence.

::And quick,:: Sunstreaker agreed as he pulled an energon blade, his brother mirroring the action.

Scatterblade drew his own weapon as they moved toward the voices. They came upon the mech's rather suddenly, the distortion of sound in the cave hiding the true amount of space between them.

Sideswipe was the first to react, his swords stabbing through the first mech to be exposed. Scatterblade slid around the silver front-liner and his victim to plunge his blade into the second mech. Once both 'Cons were down, the team was able to continue their trek into the caves; the further they went, the stronger the sense of presence Scatterblade started to feel.

::We're close,:: he informed them, the feeling invigorating him.

::How do you know that?:: Sunstreaker challenged again.

::Just move,:: Ironhide demanded as he gave the golden front-liner a 'gentle' push to get him moving again.

Scatterblade reveled in the growing sensation of his femme, excited that they were getting close. Soon he would see her and he could take out his anger on the mech that dared hurt her.

::I know you're out there,:: the hacker's voice snarled through Illusory's link to Scatterblade. ::Took down my lackeys, good job.::

Scatterblade growled at the mech's voice. He opened the link with the rest of the team, not wanting to give the hacker the satisfaction of tormenting him into blind action.

::You think you're going to walk away from this, don't you? That you'll come save your pretty little femme and everything will end in a happily ever after, just like those foolish human fairy tails. Well, you're wrong, project.::

Scatterblade shook his head slightly, he never really expected to get out of this. He just wanted Illusory to be safe. That was the reason he was here, to get her out of there. He would worry about himself later. Still, he kept his mouth shut.

::I tell you what. You come to me, leave your Autobot friends behind, and I'll...let her continue functioning.::

Illusory's presence begged Scatterblade not to listen, to just turn around and go. She was afraid, terrified for herself, for him, and for their sparkling.

Scatterblade jerked to a stop and glanced to the 'bots around him.

There was silence for a while before the mech spoke again. ::Well, project? What is your answer? Do I continue to destroy this femme, or will you sacrifice your freedom for her?::

Scatterblade was no fool; if they managed to get both Illusory and himself out of here, it would be a miracle, but he was sure he was not leaving here. It would be alright, he assured himself. He had accepted a long time ago that he wasn't going to get out of this, but neither would she unless he stayed. ::Let her go.::

::Let her go? I never said anything about that,:: the mech scoffed. ::This is not a trade for bodies, project, it is a trade for treatment. Hand yourself over and I will assure she is no longer tormented.::

::Why keep her?:: He demanded, rage filling his frame once more.

::To keep you on your best behavior.::

All the enthusiasm and vigor dwindled to almost nothing. He steadied himself against the wall of the cave, his spark feeling of both painful fire and stabbing ice. He turned to Ironhide for help, opening a private comm to the larger mech. ::I don't know what to do.::

Ironhide had a dark expression fixed on his face; a barely contained fire of rage hiding behind it. ::Tell him what you have to to get to her; we'll figure it out. We will not abandon either of you here,:: he promised with an unarguable confidence.

The young mech nodded. Using Ironhide's confidence to bolster himself he pushed himself off the wall and pressed forward. ::Where is she?:: He demanded for what he was sure must have been the fiftieth time.

The mech sent a 'map' of sorts; a guide to lead Scatterblade through the winding mix of man made tunnels and natural caves to a specific destination. ::Leave your Autobot friends behind, or I will deactivate her at the first inkling that they have followed you.::

Scatterblade grimaced as he looked at the directions. Glancing back at the other four mechs, he moved away toward the menacing voice. None of the mech's looked okay with this deal, but didn't know what else to do.

“We'll find you,” Sideswipe promised.

Scatterblade simply nodded, knowing the mech meant to keep his word but also not seeing how they would.

Jazz patted him on the back as he passed. “Don't worry.”

He data burst Jazz a copy of the map he had received with a hopeless grin. “Just in case.”

“Got it.”

Venting deeply, Scatterblade followed the map, his blades ready should there be any more Decepticons hoping to get the drop on him.

Winding his way into the tunnels and caves took him quite some time. He had to back track once or twice because he lost where he was a few times. Once he reached the proper location, he could hear laughter; familiar laughter as another familiar voice pleaded brokenly.

“Your mech is sure taking his time, isn't he? Maybe he decided you weren't worth it. That would be the smart thing to do, but you know he's an Autobot and they just can't let anyone suffer for long.”

Scatterblade moved toward the voices a growl growing in his vocalizer. His optics and swords shining brightly in the dark as he came around the last corner, revealing himself.

“Ah!” The mech grinned widely at seeing the mech he had been after. He stood a little taller than Scatterblade, his armor in shades of purple and black. He held the femme by bound arms in front of him. “There, see? I told you he would come.”

'Lu, please don''t be angry, he begged his mate while he glared at the mech holding her hatefully. 'We'll be alright.'

'Blade...' she whimpered, her frame trembling as she attempted to look up at him, several mechanisms complaining at the attempted movement.

“You'll have to excuse her,” the purple mech said smoothly, “she's a little worn out. Now, drop your weapons.”

Scatterblade sneered at the 'Con and drew his second blade, gripping both tightly for a moment before he lowered and placed them on the ground.

“That's a good little project. Now, come here so I can put these stasis cuffs on you and all will be well.”

The front-liner hesitated for the briefest of moments, but walked forward as he was told.

Shifting around, the mech took hold of Illusory by her neck, his hand wrapping almost completely around. “One wrong move and I break her,” he warned.

“You talk more than I do,” the black mech sneered angrily.

The purple mech shrugged slightly with indifference. “Making sure we have a perfectly clear understanding. I get paid better the less damaged you are.”

Scatterblade stopped just within the mech's reach. He placed the stasis cuffs on Scatterblade, then dropped Illusory to the ground like a bag of rocks. “Good. Now, sit while the rest of my team clears the caves.”

Scatterblade scooted to Illusory, helping her to sit back up. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I got you hurt,” he lamented quietly.

“You shouldn't have come,” she mumbled softly.

Scatterblade shook his head, a hurt expression touching his faceplates. “I couldn't leave you. Not coming was never an option.”

“Now he has us both...what good is that?”

The front-liner grinned sheepishly. “Remember Charlie's basketball team?” He hoped she would understand the hidden meaning.

“Basketball?” she sounded confused, groggy, and rather annoyed. “Blade...this isn't uh game...”

Illusory was hardly an abstract thinking under good conditions, knowing part of what she had been through he should have known better. He scolded himself for the attempt. Instead, he reached back through their bond. 'The team's called the Utah Jazz, but that's besides the point. We're not alone down here.'

'Jazz?' She still seemed confused for a moment, but it seemed something came to her as she thought on it. A small wave of relief flooded her, though there was still fear. 'By himself?' She allowed her body to sag against the mech beside her, needing his closeness as much as she needed the physical support to be able to stay up.

'No. Ironhide brought the twins.'

The femme laughed, though it might have sounded more like a desperate sob had Scatterblade not been able to sense the faint amusement at the thought.

'What?' He pushed, feeling a little lightened by her amusement.

'Ironhide an' th' twins are runnin' loose down here? We're all doomed fer sure,' she tried to convey the joke for what it was, but her waning energy made it sound far more real than she intended. Still, Scatterblade caught the infection and chuckled softly.

A few breems passed in silence, then their captor came back and grabbed Illusory roughly. “Time to go, project,” he hauled Scatterblade to his feet. “Start walking.”

The front-liner shoved his captor off of him and walked where he was told. Illusory whimpered under the rough handling, but didn't have the strength to do anything about it. The mech lead them out a different way then they had come in; forcing Scatterblade to crawl in front of him while he dragged Illusory behind him to get through the much smaller pass.

Once they came out of the cave system, the sun was just beginning to touch the horizon and the sky was turning dark. The Decepticon grunted when Illusory offered no help dragging herself from the hole they climbed out of, but didn't hesitate to heft her over his shoulder. “Keep going,” he demanded, pointing in a general northerly direction.

Scatterblade scowled as the Decepticon tossed Illusory about.

The mech smiled at Scatterblade's disapproval. “What? Don't like it? I could do worse...”

The front-liner only glared at the mech, not saying anything. He knew his words would only cause more problems.

Amused by the glare, yet somewhat annoyed, the mech took one of Illusory's bound arms and started twisting it. At first she just whimpered a little but as he kept putting pressure on it she started to squirm.

“Stop it!” Scatterblade growled, prepared to jump at the Decepticon.

“Or what?” He challenged, pausing just before the femme's joint would give.

“Leave her alone,” the front-liner warned.

“Or,” he twisted just a little more, Illusory screamed as pain shot through her arm, “what?”

Quick as any action the Decepticon had ever seen, Scatterblade spun around, slamming his leg into the mech's back. He spun around the opposite way to try and keep Illusory from falling beneath the larger mech. The Decepticon had taken the hit to his back, unable to avoid it but also having suspected that his prisoner wouldn't deal with the torture of his femme right in front of him he made a move of his own. Tossing the femme to the side he came about quickly, grabbing Scatterblade's bound arms and tossing him the opposite way from where Illusory lay still writhing in pain.

“I should just tie you down and make you watch me terminate her,” he growled.

“No!” Scatterblade barked, though his voice had less force than he wanted and his exhaustion twisted his word into something more of a plea.

The Decepticon laughed with great mirth at the demand. “You Autobots are all so weak. You let things get into your sparks and make you weak.” He stomped over to Scatterblade delivering a sharp kick at the mech's chest. “Will it break you, project? To watch her slowly deactivate by my hands?”

Scatterblade vented heavily, looking up at their captor, anger and hatred radiating from him.

The mech laughed again. “It would!” He crowed with glee. “I can see it in your optics! It would destroy you to watch that little Neutral femme deactivate.” He turned toward the femme, watching her struggle to get off her injured arm, her pitiful growls of anger and hate mixed with whimpers of pain and exhaustion. “Maybe I should use your own weapons to do it too...” he pulled Scatterblade's weapons from subspace, looking them over as if he were actually thinking of following through with the threat.

Fear flashed through Scatterblade's optics and his spark clenched painfully. His processor raced, begging for some solution, some way to stop this.

The mech took a step toward Illusory, reveling in the way she cringed at his movement; how the panic flashed in her optics and how she curled in on herself as if she could protect her spark from him. “It would be fun,” he mused. “Just ripping you apart, hearing you scream and watching him break because of it.” He shoved her over with one foot until she was on her back and set the tip of one blade against the femmes abdomen, pushing just enough for it to dig past her armor. The whole time he watched Scatterblade to see what he would do.

The front-liner scrambled to get to her, but the moment the purple mech had pierced her armor, he froze. “Please, stop,” he blurted. He had never remembered a time when he had begged for anything. A grim voice in the back of his processor tried to joke that there was a first time for everything.

More laughter rolled through the mech. “Begging? You really are weak,” he shook his head in mock sympathy for the mech before him, even as he leaned harder against the weapon, drawing a horrid sound from Illusory as the blade started to work into sensitive inner plating and mechanisms beneath the stronger outer armor. He looked for all intent and purposes to follow through with the slow impaling, enjoying every klik of the suffering of both of his captives. Everything slowed to a crawl.

Then the world exploded in a hailstorm of plasma blasts as three rather feral voices tore through the air with roars of outrage. Scatterblade used the sudden distraction to his advantage and crawled toward Illusory.

Sunstreaker was the first to appear through the haze, laying into the mech without any concern for what striking him might have done to the femme pinned beneath him. The blade the Decepticon had dug into the femme's abdomen tore loose, ripping at her plating as it was wrenched from her frame.

Sideswipe came in second, hot on his brother's heels with his own blades ready to seek energon. Ironhide tried to find another opening to fire at the mech, but with the two front-liners in his way, there was no clear shot.

Jazz came sliding in beside Scatterblade, making quick work of his stasis cuffs, but didn't say a single word to him; allowing him to go to his femme in her time of need. Scatterblade took the opportunity and rushed to move her away from the fight. He picked her up, straining slightly from his own fatigue. Carrying her to a dense cover of trees he kept half an optic on his scanners, watching the battle carefully. “Lu,” his voice trembled as he spoke. “Lu, can you hear me? Oh, Primus...Lu?”

Illusory's frame was completely limp in Scatterblade's arms, her spark pulsing wildly enough to be felt through her whole body. She whimpered softly in response to his voice.

With a roar and more firepower, the battle broke into something larger as backup came for the currently outnumbered Decepticon. Seekers lit up the sky as they did their best to light the area on fire with their blasts. The other Autobots split their efforts between the offending Decepticon and the Seekers trying to bring them down. Their only tactical advantage was the trees that hid them from clear view; but those same trees were quickly becoming splinters that were starting to burn.

“We've got to get out of here!” Ironhide roared over the battle.

Jazz slid to the place Scatterblade had hidden in, encouraging him to move. The front-liner held Illusory close to him as he ran. He couldn't take the time for the care she needed, there was no time to be careful, but he held her tight to minimize as much damage as he could. Jazz used his skills to spot the best retreat available to them; offering the most cover and the easiest path to travel.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker went wide, flanking Scatterblade and Ironhide came slower behind, holding back pursuers as he was an easy target to spot among the dense forest.

 


	31. Event Thirty One

Event Thirty-One

~

 

_Beyond the illusions there is hope, scattered in the shadows of what is hidden._

~

 

The trek across the terrain strained Scatterblade's already worn and exhausted frame, but he kept going. Just ten more meters. Ten more meters. Just ten more.

Jazz lead them into another cave system, this one largely obscured from view, even on the ground and entirely natural in make. “We'll wait 'em out,” he stated as he signaled the others to their location.

The cave was large enough to hold them all, as long as they moved deeper into it. Jazz stayed near the entrance to keep an optic on things.

Scatterblade carried the femme deep into the cave, wanting the privacy offered there. He laid her down, looking over her and taking in all the damage. “Lu...Illusory...”

As the others arrived, they gave the mech and his femme as much space as they could in the cave. Sunstreaker busied himself in a far corner trying to clean muck from his armor while Sideswipe paced with agitation; hiding wasn't their style, but in the moment it was the best option. They had to be sure the others got back safely and continuing to fight wasn't going to achieve that goal. Ironhide looked over the mech tending his femme and his old spark ached horribly. He knelt beside them, looking over the femme himself. She was heavily damaged, though no one injury was life threatening, as a whole they were pretty severe.

“Talk to her,” he encouraged. “We're only holing up here until we have a clear run, then we'll get her home to Ratchet.”

The younger black mech ran his hand along her face gently, wanting so much for her to just be okay. “Lu, can you hear me? Lu, I love you. We're going to get you out of here.”

Time passed and the roar of Seeker engines faded. Jazz came into the cave fully to announce that they could move again, his optics studying Scatterblade and Illusory. “Ya gonna be alright ta move?”

Scatterblade looked up and nodded, reaching through the too silent bond sending his femme encouragement. 'We're moving again. We'll get you to safety.' He gathered the femme in his arms carefully and followed the group out.

As Scatterblade's voice drifted through her processor, Illusory felt some level of relief and reached back for him as much as she was able. 'Ah hurt, 'Blade...' she whispered, though at the moment she couldn't figure out why she hurt. Everything was blurred together and nothing made any sense.

'Don't dwell on it,' he soothed. 'Just relax. Try and stay with me.' He reached for her, supporting her over their bond as he carried her.

'Okay,' she agreed quietly.

Ironhide lead the way this time, his bulk providing a decent shield should they be attacked. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker still flanked wide, keeping optics on their horizons while Jazz stayed close to Scatterblade. “Ya just let us know if ya need help,” he encouraged, taking note of the mech's struggle to move forward.

The walk felt like forever, their pace much slower than what they had come in. Everyone walked in almost complete silence, an air of discomfort lingering among them. When they got closer to the road, Ironhide transformed. “Load her up,” he ordered, waiting patiently for his cargo.

Scatterblade lifted her gently into the bed and situated her carefully and snugly. 'We're on the road again. I'm right behind you,' he assured her, never letting his presence leave her.

Ironhide drove as swiftly as he dared, heading back for base. There was only one thing on his processor now and that was the femme laying so still in his bed. He knew the Decepticons could be nasty; he'd even seen much worse than this, but to see such a young femme in such a state – one that really had no desire to be a part of this blasted war – it struck just a little harder than normal.

'Where are we goin'?' The femme asked, her presence latched onto Scatterblade as though the physical separation were painful.

'To see Ratchet,' he said. 'We've got to patch you up and check on...' he choked on the last word. He didn't want to think about what this was doing to their sparkling.

Illusory's spark pulsed painfully at the thought of their sparkling. She was struggling to remember what had happened; she knew that something bad had happened and the sparkling could be in danger. 'Oh, Primus...' a fresh wave of panic washed through her and she tried to bring herself back to full awareness again, she had to see what had happened to her, if the sparkling was okay.

Scatterblade felt the panic and tried to sooth her over their bond. 'Hey, try to stay still. We'll figure it out soon enough. Hang tight.'

The femme whimpered as her struggles – as slight as they had been – brought back pain. She tried to still herself as Scatterblade told her, trusting in him, but tremors still ran through her frame as fear for what might be settled in. 'What if...' she groaned, the worst playing through her processor over and over. 'What if Ah didn't keep it safe enough?'

'Don't worry about it now. We don't know what's happened,' he tried to reassure her. 'You'll have worried about it twice. Everything will be okay. Please, try to rest,' he spoke as soothingly as he could, offering her calm over their bond.

Illusory had a hard time trying to settle, but after a few breems her frame succumbed to all that had happened and she settled into recharge.

Scatterblade vented in relief and focused on driving. ::She's in recharge,:: he informed the group, his voice tired, but calm.

::Good,:: Jazz answered back with a relief of his own. ::Base is watin' fer us, we're not too far.::

Scatterblade acknowledged Jazz with a ping and turned all his attention to the drive.

When they arrived on base Ratchet and Optimus were already waiting for them. The medic went quickly to Ironhide to examine the femme. He only took one glance at the front-liner twins before pointing them to the med bay with instructions to see Jolt.

Scatterblade stood on unstable feet as he joined Ratchet near Illusory to help carry her to the med bay. He quickly found a hand on his shoulder, helping to support him. “Hey, ya don't need ta push yerself,” Jazz was beside him.

“Are you able to make it to the med bay on your own?” Ratchet asked even as he lifted the femme from Ironhide's bed, obvious concern for the mech on his face.

“I think so.” His steps were shaky but in a mostly straight line beside the medic and his mate.

Once in the med bay Ratchet laid the femme out on a berth and began seeing to some of her worst injuries. “Sit, I will see to you in a moment. Tell me what happened.”

The black mech found a place to rest and thankfully took a seat. His frame ached everywhere and his spark ached even worse. “Take your time, I'm not going anywhere. She went with us to see Tibs. We decided to go to the pier as a kind of celebration since Charlie was going to be moving in with us. 'Lu got tired and she went home,” he recited the beginning of everything tiredly. He paused as anger at himself for letting her go alone rose up again, anger at the Decepticon that tortured her close on its heels. He was silent for a few kliks before he continued. “When I tried to contact her again, that 'Con was on the other end. We tried to get to her, but there was a decoy. Obviously we found her, but...” he placed his head in his hands, anger and grief taking his resolve away from him. “It's my fault she's hurt. What's worse is...it's not just her...”

Ratchet glanced worriedly up at the mech. “What do you mean? Did they capture one of the humans?”

“No,” he shook his head, still wedged in his hands. “She's...” his voice faltered, “she's carrying our sparkling,” pain etched his voice into something horrible and torn.

Ratchet's hands froze, his look of concern quickly shifting to one of shock. “What?”

Scatterblade looked up with a weak grin, but it fell as soon as he spoke again. “We have a sparkling.”

There was a momentary glimmer to the medic's optics as a klik of horror crossed his face. He turned his attention back to the femme, scanning her spark closely. With a soft venting he relaxed. “It's still there, stressed and weak, but there. If you hadn't reached her when you had...” His hands sat idle for a few kliks before he started working on the femme again. “Why didn't you tell me as soon as you knew?”

Scatterblade vented brokenly. It was good news, still not perfect, but good. “She didn't want to advertise right away. We were so close to finishing the house, she didn't want to up and leave it.”

“She shouldn't have been pushing herself...” the medic started to lecture, but stopped. “I can sympathize, however as her assigned medic; I disapprove.”

Nodding repentantly, Scatterblade focused on his femme once more. She looked so small under Ratchet's hands. Small, and fragile, and just too still. “Are they...going to be okay?” He couldn't help but ask, his voice sounding so weak.

“Yes,” the medic assured him firmly. “I will make sure of it.”

With another vent of relief, Scatterblade turned himself so that he could lay on the birth and still see Illusory. “If you're done with me right now,” he said drowsily, his optics already cycling down.

“Yes,” Ratchet affirmed, scanning the mech quickly to assure he was in no danger. “Rest.”

It didn't take long at all for the mech to be completely in recharge, finally able to let all his worries rest knowing that Ratchet would take care of his family. He could focus on the comforting light inside, the bond feeling that was his femme, his mate, and giving her everything he could.

Illusory's presence wrapped onto his needfully. She felt concerned for the lack of sensations she had, worry about the sparkling, and concern for him all warring inside her. He soothed her worries, sending how much he loved her over and over again and promising he would keep her safe and apologizing for not having done it adequately before.

'No,' she managed, 'you aren't to blame.'

'They wouldn't have taken you if not for me,' he reasoned. 'It's my fault you got hurt.'

'If Ah had paid more attention, they'd never have caught meh...they used meh ta get ta you. Ah'm th' one who should be sorry fer lettin' it happen.'

'You were caught off guard. You're carrying. There's not much that could have been done,' he said softly, 'but it may have happened anyway. Despite the circumstances. I can't get rid of this guilt right now,' he admitted shamefully.

'Oh, 'Blade...' she drew his presence in as close to a hug on this level as there ever was; though it was far more encompassing than a physical touch. 'Ah love you.'

His mood lightened some, the absolute unity stopping his negative thoughts, evaporating them all together. 'I love you, Lu.'

Joors passed as Ratchet worked, every few breems passing scans over both of his patients – well, all three if he considered the orns old spark thriving within the femme – to be sure they were still functioning within acceptable range.

When he finished his repairs on Illusory, he ensured the femme was given medical high-grade energon to provide her spark with a little boost and to ease the stress on both her and her sparkling. Then he turned his attention to the mech currently laying in recharge. He considered waking the mech, then considered giving him a sedative to keep him in recharge while he worked, but finally decided on letting the mech choose for himself whether or not he would like to be online while he worked. He started with the obvious repairs that didn't require him to move or adjust the mech, making sure to sedate the area he was working on so that Scatterblade wouldn't feel any more pain.

Scatterblade stirred his optics slowly blinking online. His processor pounded painfully and it took him a while to really register where he was. Med bay. He vented a heavy groan. Looking around he spotted Ratchet beside him. “Hey, Doc,” he said drowsily, offlining his optics again, a bright light blinding him for a klik.

“I'm repairing your damages,” the medic explained as he looked over the mech again. “How are you feeling?”

“Very sore,” he grimaced. Everything seeming to hit him full force now that he wasn't focusing on everything that wasn't himself.

“I can imagine,” Ratchet offered as much sympathy as he was able. He noted the tell tale signs of a hack still lingering on the mech's processor, he also noted the signature of the hacker – one he was very familiar with. “Why was Jazz messing with your processor?”

“He was helping me find her,” Scatterblade explained, not really knowing what all had happened, only remembering the pain. “We didn't have time to be nice.”

“I see,” he shook his head slightly. “Well, as long as he's not mucking around in there...” there was a clear distaste for the work in his tone, but he couldn't argue that Jazz's skills did pay off more often than not; the damages afterwords were negotiable.

As the medic finished his work, he handed the front-liner some energon. “Rest, relax, recoup. We'll discuss everything else later; once she's online.”

The mech nodded thankfully, drinking deeply of the offered energon.

Ratchet left them to recover and to give Jolt some help with the less than cooperative front-liner twins. Apparently Sideswipe was under the illusion that his damages were hardly noticeable and didn't need repaired. Ratchet came thundering in to explain how wrong the mech was.

When Illusory came fully online, she was confused and afraid. She didn't know where she was and the last thing that she could remember – hazy though it was – was a Decepticon slowly running her through with a sword. She screamed and scrambled to get away from her remembered attacker.

The scream jolted Scatterblade online and he rolled off the side of the berth to the ground. He groaned at the suddenness of it but pushed himself up. “Lu, you're okay!” He attempted to calm her. “I'm here! You're safe,” he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

It only took a klik for her to recognize the frame so close to her and latched onto him, shivering with memories. Things slowly settled in her processor, bringing her up to date. Scatterblade held her tightly, shushing her, telling her how glad he was that she was here, that she was safe.

“Where are we?” She asked quietly, not really taking the time to look around, feeling far safer with her face pressed against his chest.

“Med bay.”

The femme groaned miserably, not wanting to be back on the Autobot base. “I want to go home,” she complained rather youngling-like.

“We will. Just be patient,” he couldn't help the grin that came to him. “Everything needs to be checked out first.”

“Is...is the sparkling okay?”

“Ratchet says it's there,” he said, though his voice was hardly as confident as he would have liked. “We'll have to ask him what's happened.”

A wave of fear shot through her at his words She loosened her grip on him and looked around as if to spot the medic, but he was nowhere to be seen. ::Ratchet?:: She called nervously.

::Illusory, good to hear you online. How are you feeling?::

::Is my sparkling alright?::

::You both got very lucky. I will come speak with you in a moment. Stay calm and relax.::

“Hey, it's alright,” Scatterblade soothed. “We're in the best of care,” he reminded her, this time very sure.

“I...know,” she tried to sound as confident as her mate, but couldn't let go of her fear so easily.

When Ratchet arrived she looked at him with no small amount of anxiety. Scatterblade kept his arms around her for security, he also looked to the medic as he entered. He tried to give a happy grin but his own concerns tainted it.

Ratchet nodded to the pair, though his expression was set into a serious mask. “First, congratulations. Second, you should have contacted us as soon as you were aware of the sparkling, and before you say anything on that I do understand your hesitation; I simply do not approve.”

Illusory was stunned by the rant, any retort completely lost to the medic's words. Scatterblade studied the ground, trying to hide a shameful look.

“Now,” the medic lost all visages of disapproval and scorn from his entire frame and he came closer to the pair. “I'm sure you have many questions and I intend to answer them. It has been many vorns since there has been a carrying femme that I've known of, this is something to be celebrated.”

“Oh, no, please...” Illusory begged. “I do not want everyone to know just yet.”

The medic looked a little disappointed, but not upset at all. “I understand. For now, it will remain between those of us who are currently aware. It is up to you to share your news as you see fit.”

“Thank you,” the femme vented.

“Now, questions?”

Scatterblade continued to stare at the ground, his shame still weighing him down. It wasn't the lecture, or lack of one, but that he still found this whole mess to be his fault despite Illusory's words and feelings of comfort.

Ratchet noted Scatterblade's expression as something to address at a later date; discussing the dangers of being bonded in the middle of a war – let alone the prospect of a sparkling on top of that – was hardly something this pair needed right now.

“I...don't even know where to begin,” Illusory vented. “I know nothing of carrying, or sparklings...or anything...”

The reminder of what the war had stolen from the younger generation was gruesome to Ratchet. A femme that knew nothing of sparklings seemed cruel. Even worse was that he knew neither of them had likely ever even seen one. “Right,” he shifted, settling into his frame as a measure of defeat. “We will start at the beginning then. Obviously you know how a sparkling is created...” the medic started.

The sarcasm in the medic's tone brought a genuine grin back to Scatterblade. He finally looked up from his study of the floor to meet Ratchet's optics.

The medic had an amused look on his face, suspecting that would have gotten the mech's full attention. “What you need to be aware of is the extra drain the sparkling will put on your spark and systems, Illusory. You were already headed toward a critical state, you cannot allow yourself to fall to reserves while carrying. It is not good for you or the sparkling.”

Illusory looked properly scolded by his words. She had noticed the strain, but thought nothing of it.

“And as fair warning to you, Scatterblade, her emotional balance will become hyperactive; be prepared for mood swings.”

“I do not have mood swings!” Illusory protested almost violently.

“Case in point.”

The black mech gave his mate a small squeeze. “Charlie will help me with that.”

“You will need to report for check-ups often; this being the first sparkling created on this planet, I would like to make sure there are no developmental issues. I do not foresee any, but better safe than sorry.”

At this, Illusory looked rather nervous. “You want us to stay here?”

“That would be preferable, yes,” the medic nodded.

Scatterblade vented softly, waiting for the inevitable argument from Illusory.

“No,” she stated flatly. “We have a home and I intend to live there, not here.”

Ratchet looked as though he was about to argue the point, but Illusory cut him off before he could get started.

“I will not, _will not_ , give up my home again!”

“Lu,” Scatterblade said trying not to sound tired but firm in his words. “We will go home again, just not for a while. This won't be forever. When we know what to do , we'll do it.” He turned to Ratchet, a plea and a demand in his optics. “We can do this at home, right? She needs that right now, more than anything else.”

The medic was stunned by Illusory's proclamation; he couldn't blame the femme for wanting to keep the home they had worked for, and further convinced by Scatterblade's sincerity. “Very well,” he agreed. “Once I am sure you are stable and in good function, I don't really see any need for you to remain here. However, we will still have to arrange check-ups.”

Illusory nodded, willing to give on that one point for her chance to return home.

Scatterblade nodded gratefully, leaning into Illusory a little. He was so relieved she was here and not deactivated. The whole ordeal almost seemed like a bad dream. He frowned slightly. Almost.

The femme relaxed, leaning back into her mate as he leaned into her. Maybe things would turn out just fine in the end.

“You will also need someone to come check your security. We can't exactly have you out there on your own with no protection.”

“I will not have my home turned into another outpost for you to use in your war,” Illusory warned.

“No such thing,” Ratchet agreed. “Just precautionary things; parameter sensors, emergency alerts that come here, in case of trouble.”

The femme still didn't seem entirely sure, but nodded slightly in agreement. “All right.”

Scatterblade vented in relief. Security would sure ease his processor. “Thanks.”

Ratchet nodded. “I will give you some data packets to read up on as far as the sparkling goes. Feel free to contact me with any questions. You should both get as much rest as you can for the time being.”

“Do you know when we should know specifics?” Scatterblade asked awkwardly.

“Well, I can provide you with several specifics right now; what is it that you're looking for?”

“Whether it's mech or femme. When should we expect it,” he shrugged sheepishly.

“Well, I can test at any point to detect orientation; as for when to expect, typical development usually takes twenty-five point seven orns.”

Scatterblade nodded. “Alright.” An excitement filled him. He hugged Illusory tightly, not able to keep it to himself.

The femme giggled; half of purr excitement and half of giddy relief. “We're having a sparkling...” she said out loud as if it was finally hitting home, as if it was finally _real_.

“Yeah,” Scatterblade laughed, still tired from before but letting this news fuel him.

After a few moments of just living inside their joy, Illusory vented softly. “When can we go home?”

“Rest, recharge, refuel, and once all of your systems check out, you are free to go,” Ratchet still sounded disapproving of the decision, but didn't outright make it obvious.

“Understood,” the younger mech agreed, knowing full well they needed the rest badly.

With a nod the medic gave the pair one last scan, checking on Illusory's energon levels and Scatterblade's patches before leaving them in peace.

Illusory sagged with exhaustion. She tugged lightly at Scatterblade's arm, wanting him to join her on the berth. “you look beat,” she teased.

Scatterblade chuckled tiredly. “Yeah, I feel like it too.” He followed her to the berth, holding her around the waist from behind as they walked, not wanting to lose contact with her for a moment.

The pair settled comfortably on the berth, Illusory being careful of Scatterblade's injuries as she curled into his side, and he did the same, wrapping his arm around her, settling nicely. The femme rumbled happily, content to be so close to her mate and feeling safe after everything that had happened. Scatterblade felt a stab of pain in his spark for what he almost lost. Instinctively, he held her tighter.

They were left alone almost entirely, one or the other of the medical 'bots stopping in to check on them from time to time. Illusory recharged soundly, hardly stirring at all when the medical came. Scatterblade occasionally glanced up at them, but didn't move much either. He would slip right back into recharge, resting his chin on his femme's head. They were at peace.

When Illusory finally came online, fully recharged, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that she was once again at the Autobot base...and she didn't know what had happened to Charlie.

“Charlie!” She gasped as she sat up.

Scatterblade's arm flew off of her and he almost rolled off the berth again. He caught himself and vented in relief, then turned to the femme. “Hey, what's wrong?” He asked, not comprehending her shout fully, only that she was distressed and he was groggy from recharge.

“Where's Charlie?” She asked, concerned but not yet panicked. She knew Scatterblade wouldn't have abandoned the human to fend for herself, but she couldn't just put it out of her processor either.

“She's at home, safe with her family,” the mech soothed.

Venting with relief, Illusory relaxed. “Good.”

Just then, Scatterblade groaned. “Christmas is tomorrow.”

“We had better get back then, she must be worried.” The femme slid from their berth, fully intent on heading out.

Scatterblade climbed off the berth behind her, but stopped her from leaving just yet. ::Ratchet?::

::Yes, Scatterblade?::

::Illusory and I have an engagement to keep tomorrow with Charlie,:: he explained. ::We were hoping to leave today so we could make it back in time.::

::Very well, I will be there shortly to ensure that you are both cleared to leave.::

::Thank you,:: he ended the transmission. “Ratchet's coming by to clear us,” he told her.

Illusory nodded, willing to wait for the medic only because she knew it was what was best.

Ratchet arrived shortly, a container in his hands. “Since you will not be staying here, I am sending you with some enriched energon. It isn't the best – we don't quite have the resources here that I would like – but it will do.” He set the container down then went to each 'bot in turn to check them over. “Your readings are acceptable for travel. However, take it easy; both of you. You're still recovering. I will come out to check on you in an orn.”

“Will do Ratchet!” Scatterblade grinned, giving a playful salute.

The medic bid them a safe trip and went on about his duties.

“That went better than I expected,” Illusory said as she tucked away the energon.

“Still not getting the whole 'they care about you' thing down?” Scatterblade teased lightly.

Illusory laughed, shaking her head slightly. “It's just so...different. I never would have thought I would be on the receiving end of good intentions without some kind of catch. I mean, I suppose the contract counts..” she shook her head again. “It is just different.”

“This time it's a good different,” he assured her. “Ironhide, Jazz, and the twins were...” he trailed off, thinking of the right word. “They were Pit-bound to get you out of there.”

The femme smiled, happy and sad at the same time. It was thrilling to know 'bots cared enough for her to rescue her, yet sad that their lives were put in danger by that very act. It didn't make sense to her on that level; there was nothing for them to gain for their actions, yet they had done it anyway. “That is...” she stumbled trying to think of something acceptable. “I am in their debit for it.”

“I don't know if they'll be calling in favors,” Scatterblade chuckled. “Let's go home,” he smiled warmly guiding her toward the exit.

Eager to be on their way, Illusory lead the way out. What they encountered as they approached the gates of the base was a small team of mechs waiting for them. Among them were the twins – recently released from the med bay themselves – Ironhide, Jazz, Prowl, a red and white mech that had only made a few rare appearances, and the Prime himself.

“Wanted to wish you luck!” Sideswipe announced as they approached.

Scatterblade chuckled a little. “Thanks.” He wasn't quite sure what to make of the group.

“I have also assigned Red Alert to install security around your new home,” Optimus explained. “We were almost dealt a grave tragedy, proper measures will be taken to avoid a similar occurrence.”

“And Prowler and Ah are gonna come hep out,” Jazz stated rather happily, though Prowl didn't seem to have any feelings one way or the other.

Illusory looked over the crowd suspiciously, an unsure smile on her face. “Right...we appreciate the offer...”

“It is the most effective action to take since you have denied to remain here,” Prowl stated matter-of-factually.

A genuine smile came to Scatterblade. “Thank you all for everything,” he said with a tone that spoke of the deeper meaning this help was giving them.

Once pleasantries were done, the group bound for California set off, keeping to the speed limits the whole way. Even with the restrictions, they made it back to the house quickly enough. Scatterblade was eager to show the others their home.

Jazz sat back while the others got familiar with the house. Prowl simply nodded in acknowledgment of the hard work that had gone into building the home while Red Alert was nearly beside himself with how open the place was.

“This just won't do!” He was already compiling a list of supplies and drawing up specs for security purposes.

“It is perfect the way it is,” Illusory argued.

“Pretty does not equal safe!” The red mech argued back.

“Well thank you for saying it is pretty,” the femme smiled, knowing it would fluster the already worked up mech.

Red Alert huffed with frustration. “I can see how _this_ is going to go...”

“What do you think needs changing?” Scatterblade asked, trying to keep from sounding defensive.

“There is far too much internal visibility,” the mech started, clearly displeased with the open layout of the upper structure. “It's way out in the open...”

“We are not moving, or changing it, so you will simply have to work around it. This is not a base, it is our home.”

Red Alert vented dramatically. “Neutrals,” he grumbled.

“You can keep your grumbling to yourself,” the front-liner rolled his optics. “I'm sure you can think of something.”

“Never anything easy,” the mech continued as he marched off to finish examining the 'damage' as he defined it.

Jazz simply laughed at the show. “He's always like that, don't take it too hard.”

“My home will not become another outpost,” Illusory warned darkly.

“No! Of course not!” Jazz held his hands up defensively, though his smile was still firmly in place and a soft laugh in his voice.

“See?” Scatterblade placed both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the optics. “Nothing to worry about. It'll be our final decision,” he assured her.

The femme smiled, unable to keep hold of her tension while looking at him. “You are right,” she agreed finally. “We should contact Charlie. Let her know we are home safe.”

“Sounds good to me,” he agreed. “I'll take the brunt of the attack,” he chuckled dryly, establishing the connection to Charlie's phone.

When the woman first answered, Scatterblade got an audio full of angry ranting mixed with the sound of tears of relief that they were both alright. “Are you guys _trying_ to give me a heart attack? First you nearly throw me through your windshield, then you storm off and disappear again! You had me worried sick!”

The line was silent for a while, the mech unable to explain himself through his shame. “Would you like to come by? We can explain.”

There was an even longer pause and shuddering breaths as Charlie tried to get herself under control. “Yeah, I'll be waiting,” she said finally.

“Alright, see you soon.” He closed the connection.

“Livid, wasn't she?” Illusory more stated than asked. She couldn't blame their human friend, they seemed to run off quite often, but in cases such as this the femme was very thankful that she had been left out. Primus knew what those Decepticons would have done to the poor girl, especially had they learned of her connection with Scatterblade.

“As 'Hide was when the twins painted his cannons,” he affirmed, albeit a little quietly. “We'll head over and bring her back with us.” He informed the other bots that they were leaving shortly and that they would be coming back with their human charge.

“Right,” Jazz acknowledged. “take it easy.”

Illusory waved her goodbye before heading back for the road. “Hopefully she does not stay upset for too long.”

“Yeah,” he agreed with a forced smile. Scatterblade tried to remain optimistic, life was too real and raw for there to be no hope, but with the reminder of what had just happened, he couldn't keep the guilt from coming back to haunt him. He followed after Illusory, not wanting to let her out of his line of sight. He wasn't about to lose her again. Not today, not ever.

Illusory was eager to see her friend again, she pushed herself a little more than she should have, but still within her limits. Scatterblade vented and accelerated to keep up with her. 'Watch yourself, love,' he reminded, not reprimanding but concerned.

'Ah won't break, dear spark,' she promised sweetly.

Scatterblade chuckled, his spark fluttered happily. He stayed close to her all the way to their destination.

 


	32. Event Thirty Two

Event Thirty-Two

~

_When the illusions have shattered, we must attempt to recover the pieces and create something new._

~

 

Charlie was sitting on the porch swing again, her hair in a frazzled mess and a frown on her downcast face. She kicked her feet slowly as the swing rocked back and forth. Staring at her feet, she didn't see the bots coming down the road.

Seeing the saddened state of the human, Illusory felt poorly for her. She quickly generated her holoform and approached. “Charlie...” she started apologetically.

Charlie looked up at the voice, first blankly staring ahead of her, but when the face registered the redhead pushed herself off the swing and flew at the femme. Wrapping her arms around the holoform's neck, Charlie cried.

“Oh, Charlie,” the femme lamented sorrowfully carefully wrapping her arms around the woman. “I am so sorry.”

Scatterblade joined the two and hugged them both. The redhead wasn't able to talk much as she wept into the femme's shoulder. After a full minute of crying she heaved a few heavy sighs to try and calm herself down. The dark haired holoform moved the two girls to the swing so that in her weakened state, Charlie wouldn't fall.

“What happened?” Charlie asked weakly, worry and anger both warring for answers.

Illusory bowed her head under the question. “Some...unwanted visitors...” she murmured uncomfortably, still feeling the twist of anxiety inside her from her short capture.

“ETs?” The woman asked fearfully.

Scatterblade's holoform went tight lipped, but he nodded.

“Oh, gosh,” Charlie doubled over, placing a hand to her mouth. She had been afraid that something along those lines had been the cause of the sudden trouble, but she had kept hoping it was something far less dangerous. She sat back up, her eyes wide and concerned. “You're here, that means everything's okay, right?” She searched the pair for confirmation.

“Yes,” Illusory assured her, “everything is fine now. We do have some temporary guests from base at our house, but they are simply there to help ensure our safety.”

Charlie took a shuddering breath and nodded. “Good. That's good.”

“Are you able to come by?” Scatterblade asked, unsure if the woman would even still want to consider their house her home.

::I think we should tell her about the sparkling,:: Illusory suggested over a private link. After all, if Ratchet knew, Charlie deserved to know too.

“I think so,” Charlie nodded, “though I'll have to be home later tonight.”

“Of course,” Scatterblade agreed, then offered his mate a soft smile. ::I think we should too.::

“Come then,” the femme encouraged, waving a hand toward her alt form where the door already hung open, awaiting her passenger.

Heading home, Illusory kept her pace down. There was no rush now that Charlie was with them. “I am very sorry to have worried you,” she apologized.

“It's alright,” Charlie assured her. “I'm just glad that whatever happened, you're both okay.”

“Yes,” Illusory agreed. “However, I believe we have some good news to share that may make it all up to you.”

“Really?” The woman furrowed her brows, a smile playing on her face in want of good news. It was hard to think that something good might have come from an unexpected arrival of the dangerous aliens that she still sometimes had nightmares about and she could hardly even think of what that kind of news might be.

“Yes, but it will have to wait until we get home.”

“Alright,” Charlie's smile widened, a little more confident.

Scatterblade followed Illusory, keeping close to her and leaving his scanners on full. Despite the chances being low, he couldn't put the notion that another attack could happen.

They arrived to find the makings of what very well might have been a trench...or a wall...depending on the way you looked at it, constructed of large stones that had been unearthed from nearby.

“Red Alert,” Illusory vented with a touch of aggravation.

“Say what?” Charlie asked, looking for some threat near by. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing other than a mild annoyance,” the femme grumbled. “Red Alert is very displeased with the layout of our home and feels that we should change it.”

“Red Alert,” the woman raised an eyebrow. “That's a name?”

“Autobot security officer, Red Alert. Yes.” Illusory stopped to allow Charlie out before transforming and offering to carry her the rest of the way. “Paranoid mech if I have ever met one...and I have met some pretty cautious mechs in my time.”

Charlie couldn't keep the chuckle from escaping as she climbed into the femme's hand.

Scatterblade transformed and joined them as they approached the house, casually taking in the changes that were already being made.

“Let us see what damage he has done in our absence,” the femme shook her head, scowling at the rocks as they passed.

Scatterblade only vented softly and followed her. He sensed another fight brewing that he wasn't going to be able to stop. Illusory's stubbornness and Red Alert's paranoid sense of 'need' were going to be a clash like no other, he was sure of it.

From all appearances, Red Alert had been very busy; there were short walls forming all around the house with pillars sprouting from them.

“What _is_ he doing?” The femme growled as she examined one of the pillars.

“It's the beginning of a parameter field,” Red Alert announced from where he was hauling another load of rocks. “It will be fitted with a full sensory array to detect any unwarranted movement in the area.”

“Any?” Illusory challenged.

“Any.”

“Well, good to know we will be able to keep track of all the birds.”

“Holy cow,” Charlie gaped at all the construction going on, a small frown touched her face. All the modifications was robbing the landscape of it's natural beauty. No wonder Illusory hadn't been pleased.

“Red Alert,” Scatterblade spoke up hoping to calm some of the brewing storm he could sense over the bond with his mate. “Don't you think this is a little excessive?”

“Ha!” The mech chuckled as if he had heard something rather amusing. “This is minimal at best! I couldn't get approval for even standard equipment...so many gaps...”

“We'll keep him under control,” Jazz promised as he appeared behind the mech, a few rocks held in his own hands. “Th' sensor net is pretty base.”

“Of course it is,” the black front-liner shook his head, still sensing his femme's displeasure. He grinned thankfully to Jazz for his confidence in being able to rein in the security mech, and wrapped a gentle arm around Illusory, leading her toward the house.

Illusory spared the pair a rather assessing look as she moved away. “Do not obstruct the view...please,” she added as if she had decided to attempt some form of civility at the last moment.

“I can always accidentally tear it down,” Scatterblade suggested quietly to her.

Charlie laughed, her smile beaming. It was amusing to see the interactions between her friends and others of their kind, but more than that it gave her no little amount of joy to see the pair so cuddly together.

“That would make him glitch...” Illusory said in mock contemplation with a wry smile creeping across her face.

Scatterblade only chuckled as they started down the stairs to their part of the home.

Once downstairs, Illusory lowered Charlie to the floor so she could make herself comfortable. 

The woman was quick to turn back to her friends. “So, what were you gonna tell me?”

Scatterblade grinned and looked to Illusory. 'Your turn,' he encouraged over their bond, still fascinated by the ability to connect with her through the link of their sparks.

Illusory smiled, almost devilishly as she though about telling Charlie their good news. Then, with a deep intake, she steadied her nerves. “We are going to have a sparkling.”

Charlies smile faded a little with confusion. She was sure that this was good news, but she didn't really understand it. “What's a sparkling?”

Scatterblade chuckled at the innocent question and found a similar term within the human context that would explain. “A baby.”

The woman's smile fell entirely with shock, then she suddenly launched herself at the femme, gripping her leg and squealing happily. “Oh my gosh!! You're pregnant?!”

Illusory paused to search the word, resisting the temptation to download every inkling of information attached to it. “Yes, that is the human term for it, I believe. I am carrying.”

The redhead hugged the femme's leg and squealed again. “I'm so excited for you guys!”

“Thank you,” the femme beamed. “It is a very exciting event...” she felt a lurch in her tanks at the thought she was the first known carrying femme in so many vorns that many of their species didn't even remember what a sparkling was like.

“Absolutely!” Charlie agreed. “Is that why you guys got married?” Part of her doubted that was the reason. With something as permanent as what they described, she doubted such a decision could be made irrationally; and beyond that, she didn't even know how sparklings were created. Maybe they had to be 'bonded' before it worked? Or could there have been an accident beforehand...well, that wasn't exactly something she wanted to think about.

“Well...no, not exactly; though the idea of a sparkling was...encouraging.” Illusory looked to Scatterblade, joy and mild embarrassment clear on her face.

The mech shrugged, though he didn't look ashamed at all. He had been given two things he never thought he would have in the same moment; a bond-mate, and a sparkling. There was nothing to be ashamed of. He tightened his arm around her.

“It was the bonding that created the sparkling,” Illusory explained.

“Oh,” she assumed that made sense. Honeymoon baby, right? Then, as realization struck her, she leaped back and started studying the femme closely for any changes to her. “How far along are you?”

“A few orns, not far.”

“Oh,” she said again, a little disappointment in her face. “How long is an orn?”

Scatterblade took a little pity on his mate and her lacking human terminology. “In actual time, to you, it is a little over two weeks. For us, it is the equivalent of a few days.”

“Oh,” Charlie nodded, her brain growing a little hazy at the difference in time perception. “I get it. Just barely a little family,” she smiled widely thinking of the tiny life growing within her friend.

“If all is well,” Illusory smiled a bit wistfully, “it will emerge around this same time next year, by your time measurements.”

“Oh, wow! A Christmas baby in the making! I'm so excited for you!” She gushed happily.

“Thank you,” the femme said again.

Charlie looked around the place, smiling and thinking. What did an alien robot baby need? What had to be changed to accommodate for it? Did they need to 'baby proof'? “This is going to be a great place for 'em,” she nodded, deciding that whatever had to be done was likely already in the works.

“You think so?” Scatterblade asked, slight concern behind the question. It wasn't so much that the home they were building wasn't good enough, or the location itself, but that the sparkling would be born on Earth. It seemed important to him that his native friends approved.

“Yeah!” Charlie beamed. “You'll do great.”

Illusory vented a little nervously. “I hope so.”

Charlie sighed heavily, the emotional roller coaster having worn at her quite a bit. “Let's go see what damage Red has caused,” she offered with a wink, starting for the stairs. Really, she was more interested in getting to know this new mech, and spending some time outside. After all the stress, a little beach time seemed in order.

The group emerged to a rather heated discussion between the security officer and the lead tactical officer. Apparently Prowl was finding some of Red Alert's ideas a little over the top. Jazz was simply holding back to watch the development.

“I am telling you they are the best protection any 'bot could have!”

“Motion activated weapons are not approved for off base use. This is private property, not a high security military installment.”

“That kind of processing is what keeps 'bots from being prepared!”

Prowl shifted his weight slightly, the very most he would ever show of his rising aggravation toward the seemingly unreasonable security officer. “It is too dangerous for the natives that thrive in this area.”

The red and white mech huffed defensively. “I would program them not to obliterate humans! I'm not a foolish fledgling! I know how to take proper precautions.”

“I will not approve weaponized, motion activated defenses.”

“Fine...then I don't want to hear how my security measures failed when they're overrun.”

“Overrun by what? Seagulls?” Charlie quipped, her arms folded, trying hard to hide the smile building on her face. She had found the whole argument to be rather amusing.

Red Alert spun toward the human, his optics that of a mad mech just barely held in control. “Seagulls? _Seagulls_?! Do you even know the dangers of unmonitored wildlife? Decepticons are _everywhere_ ,” the mech ranted. “They could have their little drones disguised as 'seagulls'...” the thought seemed to trigger something else as he looked toward the sky. “We should put up anti-air defenses...”

“Red!” Jazz laughed as he trotted over to the over excited mech. “Hey, remember we're just doin' th' basics here.”

Charlie balked at the sudden lecture but couldn't keep the laugh from her voice. “Glad to see you again, Jazz.” She waved as the mech did his best to refocus the security officer.

“You too, Charlie!” He spared her a smile and a wave before continuing to rein in Red Alert's paranoia.

“This is going to be a fun few orns,” Illusory shook her head. Granted, she was amused by how simple it was to set off the security officer, but at the same time, she saw many, many arguments in their future. Still, looking around she decided that what had been constructed so far wasn't all that bad. The wall was only tall enough to stop a racing vehicle from plowing through, or to be easily jumped by anything less than eight feet tall. The pillars were looking decent enough, like artistic structures standing at the edges of the wall; the shield generators hidden well within.

Scatterblade couldn't find too much to complain about either. It seemed to be going well enough despite the disruptions. Besides that, anything that would protect his family was good in his optics.

“Can we go get a Christmas tree?” Charlie asked after the three of them had looked over the changes for a good while.

“A Christmas tree?” Illusory asked, unsure of what that could mean.

“It's a tree that you bring inside and decorate. We put the presents under the tree and open them Christmas morning,” she explained.

“Would that damage the tree?” The femme further pondered, though she thought of moving the outdoor plant inside and how it would best be done.

“Yes,” Charlie admitted, “but when you give it plenty of water it will stay green for a while. Then it dies and you can toss it or burn it. It makes the house smell really nice,” she said grinning as years past brought back awesome memories.

Illusory looked somewhat baffled. “What is the symbology of destroying a tree in this case?” She wasn't offended by the idea; she had seen chopped wood used for many different reasons, most of them of great benefit to the natives of the planet, but why bring a tree into the home for the duration of the holiday?

“It's not destroying the tree,” Charlie argued. “It comes from a pagan holiday to represent mid winter and the hope of spring, but our family does it because of the evergreens and that it points to heaven. It reminds us why we have Christmas.”

“Why's that?” Scatterblade asked, interested in this holiday that seemed so important to their human friend.

“It's to remember what God had given us. The lives we have, the homes we have, the families we have. To remember that each day is a gift and we can choose to use it,” she said happily, a look of reverence in her distant eyes, “or...waste it.” She shrugged, coming back to reality. “It's all a very lifting experience.”

“I see.” Illusory may not have fully understood the concept, but she could respect the faith Charlie had for her deity and the traditions there of. “Well, then let us go find a suitable 'Christmas tree'.”

“Cool!” Charlie cheered, leading the way from the property.

Scatterblade chuckled, always amused by the woman's enthusiasm. Illusory followed after them, just content to be in good company again.

It took them a while to find a lot that still had trees. All of the good ones were bound to be gone so late in the season. Charlie fretted over finding one that wasn't going to be too small to be trampled on by their construction guests. Scatterblade kept assuring her that any tree would be fine, but the redhead couldn't keep it out of her mind.

“If it is so important, we could simply find a wild tree that suits you,” Illusory offered. “There are plenty of places we may legally obtain a harvested tree in the area.”

“Really?” Charlie beamed with excitement. “I've never done that before! Can we go find one?”

“I do not see why not,” the femme stated simply as she plotted out a simple tour that would take them to many of the more dense areas with private harvesting allowances.

Charlie jumped back into the car, wiggling with excitement.

Scatterblade laughed at the act and reached to his mate through their bond. 'Wonder if our little one will be any less energetic.'

'Less? We could only be so lucky,' the femme teased back.

Illusory enjoyed the more leisurely drive with her mate and friend while they searched for an acceptable tree for Charlie. It was very relaxing and she found herself in more want for that level of comfort than she had thought before. If only every orn could be this way.

Once they found a place that seemed to contain what Charlie was looking for, the group wondered around while the woman deliberated over what tree she wanted. Illusory wondered what made one better than the next, but was willing to let Charlie debate until her heart was content. It wasn't as if they were in any rush.

Charlie's dilemma came differently here; the trees weren't too small, but instead she worried over finding one that was small enough to fit in the house. When she finally settled on a tree she liked, she pointed it out to her friends and Scatterblade pulled his sword to cut the tree; however, he pulled short as his hand withdrew the blade. For a nanoklik it wasn't his hand on his blade, but a Decepticon who was preparing to destroy his mate. He didn't want the memory file and tried to force it back down. He shuttered his optics and took in some cool mountain air, soothing his suddenly overheated systems, then pulled the sword.

Illusory took an involuntary step back, her spark skipping a little faster than it should have at the sight of the weapon. She remembered the pain it had brought her, though in comparison to the whole of her capture, it had only been a brief moment.

Scatterblade frowned at her reaction, making note of it. With one quick move the tree fell to the ground with a loud crack.

“Now, to get it home...”the femme studied the tree. Neither of their alts were quite prepared for transporting a tree of any size; something they had failed to consider in this little adventure. “I suppose we carry it.”

“That will work,” Scatterblade agreed, picking up a part of the tree.

Illusory picked up Charlie and grabbed the other end. “It is not too far. As long as we stay to the trees we should be able to stay out of sight.”

Scatterblade nodded and led the way back to their home, careful not to damage the branches on Charlie's tree.

When they arrived back at the house, it appeared the others were nowhere to be seen. The two 'bots let the tree down between them and looked around.

“Where'd they go?” Charlie craned her neck to try and spot anyone.

Scatterblade looked to Illusory, stepping a little closer to the two femmes in case something was wrong. ::Jazz?:: He commed cautiously.

::Yo!:: The mech responded happily.

Scatterblade vented, cycling cool air. ::Where is everybody?::

::Oh...:: the mech sounded far too amused, ::Red Alert is trying ta alter th' tide...::

::You told him he cannot do that, right?:: Illusory asked cautiously.

::Waste o' time. At any rate, th' surfin's pretty awesome.::

“The what?” Scatterblade hadn't realized he had spoken aloud until Charlie gave him a confused look.

“What's going on?”

“Apparently,” Illusory stated as she followed her mate toward the beach, “Jazz is surfing...”

“He's what?!” The woman balked with a laugh.

When they reached the beach, Charlie doubled over, pointing and laughing at the sight of a giant alien robot surfing.

Jazz had somehow acquired a flat piece of board that suited his comparatively smaller frame and was thoroughly enjoying the swells while Red Alert seemed to be studying the rise and fall of the water as if he could find the pattern within.

“I did not even think that was possible,” Illusory stated with amusement.

Charlie continued to laugh. “Man, I shoulda brought my board!”

The femme shook her head, laughing at the scene. “Well, you will have full access any time you like soon enough.,” Illusory reminded her. “For now, I believe there is a harvested plant to move indoors.”

Charlie calmed her laughter with a sigh. “Alright. Let's find a place to put it.”

Between the two 'bots, they were able to maneuver the tree inside and situated it to stand with some left over scraps and a bucket of water to keep it green. After all was said and done, Charlie walked around the tree, giving it a once over before turning to her friends with a grin.

“Now the fun part! We can decorate it!”

“Okay,” Illusory agreed, though she didn't understand why. This human custom was getting a little stranger with every breem that passed as far as she was concerned.

“Normally we have different little arts and crafts from when we were younger to hang on the tree. Other times we've threaded popcorn on a string, or cereal!” Charlie giggled. “It's really fun.”

“Then we should get some supplies,” Scatterblade offered, looking around for things they could put on the tree.

“You decorate your tree with food?” Illusory asked, wondering about the mix of two seemingly separate things.

“Sometimes,” Charlie nodded. “It's an old tradition. Not sure where it came from,” she shrugged.

“That is interesting.”

Charlie hurried to the kitchen to get what she thought they could use. Illusory followed, interested in seeing what the process of all this really was. She thought it was all rather...silly, but she also thought it was touching that Charlie wanted to show them her traditions. Besides, the femme thought a little silliness was definitely needed.

The redhead opened the cupboards and pulled out a box of Fruit Loops, and another of Cheerios. She even found a box of popcorn and grabbed some of that. “I brought some stuff over while you were away,” she explained, opening the plastic coverings for the popcorn and placing it in the microwave. She wasn't going to admit that she had come here a lot while the 'bots were missing, hoping they would just turn up with some stupid explanation for why they had been gone. The food had been a secondary thought, since it was difficult to come and go for a single human on foot.

“I found some twine and metal shavings,” Scatterblade offered as he returned with his recovered items.

“That's perfect,” Charlie grinned, pumping her fist in the air.

“All right,” Illusory examined the growing collection. “And you do what with them?”

Charlie took the twine from Scatterblade and opened the cereal. “You tie the end to a piece of cereal and string things on it in whatever pattern you want to make. Then we wrap it around the tree to make it colorful.” She demonstrated with several pieces of cereal. “I think we can make some ornaments with the shavings and different pieces ties to the branches.”

“Okay,” the femme found herself a comfortable place and began constructing a string of cereal. She found it to be rather pleasant, despite her uncertainty of 'why'.

Scatterblade helped tie up the metal shavings so Charlie wouldn't cut herself on some of the sharper pieces. When all was said and done, even Illusory had to admit she liked the way the tree looked trussed up with food stuffs and metal bits. It was pretty.

Charlie had popped an extra bag of popcorn and was casually munching on it as they surveyed their work. “Nice tree,” she smiled.

“It is pleasant to look at,” Illusory agreed.

“Well,” Charlie sighed, leaning back on her hands, “I got a question for you guys.”

“What's that?” Scatterblade asked, an eye ridge raised.

“Do you have any names yet?”

The mech glanced at Illusory. “I haven't really thought about it,” he admitted.

“No,” the femme agreed. “We have not really had much time to think of any names.”

Scatterblade shrugged. “How'd you get yours?” He challenged the human playfully.

Charlie grinned. “It's the name of my great, great grandfather, but Mom really liked it as a girl's name.”

The mech nodded. “Cool.”

“Hn, so humans pass their names through generations?” Illusory pondered.

“Sometimes. How did you guys get you names?” Charlie asked, interested to see how a being ended up with such odd names. Though, going with the running account she had of the different names their kind used, she supposed that theirs weren't so odd.

“My name was given to me because my creators thought I was too difficult to keep track of.” Illusory explained with mixed emotion.

Charlie nodded, easily seeing the femme as a difficult child. “Yeah? That's neat. So, they waited on a name 'til you were a little older?”

“Yes. Some creators await a trait that they may designate their sparkling for; some give them designations they hope their sparklings to live up to.”

“I don't know exactly why I was given mine.” Scatterblade shrugged.

“Huh,” Charlie mused. “I'm excited for when you guys have them.”

“Them?” Illusory sounded a little alarmed. “Oh, please only let there be one.” She laughed nervously.

“Oh, no, that's not what I meant,” Charlie laughed. “I don't like calling a baby 'it' before they're born.”

“Ah,” Illusory smiled. “Hopefully we will know the orientation of it soon.”

“Cool,” the woman grinned. “This has been the best Christmas ever.”

“Oh? How is that?”

“Well,” she sighed, “I'm home and not freezing my tail off. I've got an amazing place to live with fantastic roommates,” she winked at the two, “and honestly, this year I could care less about presents. It's just a good year.”

“Well, that is good,” the femme smiled. “I am glad we could help to make your year a little better.”

“Always here to help,” Scatterblade added with a grin.

Charlie's phone danced on the ground as it vibrated. She opened the message and scrambled to her feet. “Crud! I have to get home.”

“We'll drive you,” the mech offered.

“Of course,” Illusory agreed heading for the door.

The drive was uneventful, arriving at Charlie's home in short order. Charlie insisted the two come inside with her. The house was dark except for the living room. A Christmas movie was playing and the kids were either sleeping or falling asleep. Charlie tip toed over her siblings and knelt beside the couch. Her mom had a very irritated expression as Charlie explained why she was late.

Illusory and Scatterblade waited patiently while Charlie spoke with her mother, simply observing the sleeping, or soon to be sleeping children. Scatterblade put his arm around the femme's holoform, pulling her close to him.

Charlie nodded and waved for the two to join her on the floor. The redhead lifted the youngest, the little golden haired girl, into her lap. She only stirred a little then fell right back into her contented slumber.

Illusory was careful to avoid the bodies, even though her holoform could simply move through them with no notice on their part if she desired, and found a place to sit near Charlie, pulling Scatterblade down beside her.

The mech happily obliged and settled in, wrapping his arms around her again once they were comfortable. Charlie whispered to them what the move they were watching was, and the story that went behind it.

Interested in the story that was being told in the movie; Illusory found herself a little more invested in what was happening in the show than what was going on around her. The whole thought of it was a little unsettling; that a carrying femme would be turned away from shelter for any reason, let alone that she was forced to birth her child without proper care. It made her think about her own situation a little more in depth. Sure, Ratchet had every intention of caring for them, but was her decision to return home really the best one? What if something happened and the medic wasn't able to get to them in time? What would happen then? She turned to the data packets Ratchet had provided them and started going through the information closely, studying the details.

Scatterblade, on the other hand, was angered by the insensitivity of the inn keepers who wouldn't let the woman stay inside. After the baby was born, he was suddenly very, very grateful for the support that he and Illusory had. Mary and Joseph had a rather large family, but on that night they had been alone. Sure, the shepherds came to see what the angel was talking about, but the rest of their family wasn't there. He smiled thinking about all the 'bots that would be there to help them. How many of them would be just as excited, or more so, when their little one came? It was thrilling and humbling at the same time. If these brave creatures could have their tiny son in a barn, he and Illusory could do anything.

When the movie ended, the femme was still wrapped up in the information she was currently sifting through, her holoform eyes were fixed on the screen, looking focused, but she most decidedly was not.

Charlie sighed, a huge smile on her face. That was her favorite adaptation. Sometimes it made her sad they only watched it once a year. She mentally reminded herself to do so tomorrow. She glanced at the couple sitting beside her, grinning even more broadly. They looked so happy together. Her mom tapped her on the shoulder asking her to take her sister to bed. Charlie nodded and helped her mom and dad get everyone off to bed.

::I think we should head home,:: Illusory suggested as movement pulled her from her thoughts.

Scatterblade nodded. “We'll come by in the morning,” he whispered as they passed Charlie.

Offering a quick nod to the remaining occupants of the home, Illusory followed Scatterblade out. She had enjoyed the time with the large family, but she was eager to be home. The night air was cool against her frame but she wanted to stand and stretch out. Maybe to lay around and feel the water in the air blow across her armor and just watch the stars as they migrated across the sky.

“Is it weird that I miss seeing stars all the time?” Scatterblade asked as he looked up.

“They are beautiful,” she agreed. “Especially from home...”

The mech chuckled at the subtle hint. “Okay, home it is.”

The drive was quick and when they arrived Red Alert was working on some device that he seemed very interested in. Prowl and Jazz were some distance away on the beach discussing something. Illusory counted them, but otherwise paid them no attention.

Scatterblade waved in greeting, but didn't speak. He walked into the house with his femme.

“Do you think we should have stayed on base?” Illusory asked suddenly, her concerns needing voice.

Scatterblade was initially shocked by the question, but he thought on it for a moment and easily found where Illusory's question had come from. “I think your comfort is the best thing right now, and you weren't comfortable at base, right?”

“Well, no, but...what if something happens?”

The mech couldn't laugh, he knew, no matter how much he wanted to. “We're going to be all right. We're going to be mindful and watchful so that if something does happen, we can get the help we need.” He placed a gentle hand on her face, running his fingers softly along the surface.

“I want to believe you, but I am afraid.”

The words bit at his spark and he pulled her into a hug, letting his own thoughts and feelings gently wash over her. He told her how sorry he was about the whole mess that he had caused, he reminded her over and over how much he loved her and never wanted her to feel scared again. The things that would come for them didn't have to be done alone; they were going to figure it out together. They could do anything as long as they were together.

The femme smiled, cuddling into her mate's embrace and taking in what he was offering her. She let her love for him, her trust in him pour through their still new bond. “It is not your fault, love. I would go through worse if it meant I would be with you.”

A tiny stab of pain at the thought of her suffering worse made him hold her tighter. “You shouldn't have to go through anything like that.”

“Considering this war, I could be in worse places.”

Scatterblade vented tiredly. He wanted so badly to protect her, to make up for what had happened with the wild goose chase, to make it all just go away. “What if we made a compromise,” he said finally putting his own fears away for the night. “When it gets further along, we can spend some of the end time on base. Make sure everything is absolutely perfect. Like that idea?”

Illusory pondered for a while. A long while. She didn't want to be on the base at all, but at the same time, she was almost afraid of not being there, close to help. So much could happen – even though she wasn't sure what really could, or could not happen – the idea of being closer to 'bots that could give her and the sparkling proper care was far more important. “Yes,” she agreed finally. “I think that might be the better option.”

“Good. We don't have to see Hatchet 'til next year,” he grinned.

Venting dramatically, Illusory laughed. “Good!”

“Let's head down and get some rest,” Scatterblade suggested, holding her hand and leading her downstairs.

“That sounds fantastic,” Illusory agreed as she followed.

The pair rested undisturbed through their recharge cycle. Their 'guests' kept busy away from the house to give them quiet and privacy. Scatterblade refused to wake up when his chronometer beeped at him. These Earth cycles were way too short. When Illusory finally came online again, she snuggled closer to Scatterblade's frame, seeking his closeness and warmth. She felt content, happy, and willing to spend the rest of eternity there. The mech wrapped an arm around her and put his head on hers with a contented grin.

“Hey,” she greeted softly.

“Hi,” he said, pulling air into his vents to wake himself further. “Happy Christmas.”

“Right, I had forgotten,” the femme laughed. “We should contact Charlie, wish her a happy holiday.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, looking again at his chronometer. “She'll be with her family about now.”

“Maybe we should wait?” She asked venting happily, more than willing to do nothing at all.

“Yes,” Scatterblade vented with a tired air. “I second that.”

Illusory happily settled against her mate, instead focusing her attention on their new bond; wanting to have the chance to sense him again outside of the desperate need from before. She didn't speak, just sought out his presence, his feelings and giving all of her happiness at being here now.

Scatterblade had never really understood the workings of a bond until now and he welcomed her reaches completely. He shared his enthusiasm, excitement and love, letting it flow from him unhindered.

The pair spent a joor – or more – just indulging their bond. The longer they spent accepting and sharing each others feelings, the stronger it became, until it reached a point where they no longer had to try to make the connection; they could sense the other with no effort at all.

The mech felt over charged by the intense emotions. It was beyond anything he had ever learned about this. To never feel alone again, it was more exhilarating than any battle or race could ever hope to be.

Illusory likewise felt thrilled by the feeling of the steady presence within her spark. Vorns of being alone melted away, like rust peeling back to reveal fresh, clean metal. She felt renewed, revitalized, and so drunk with joy that she nearly forgot there was anything other than the sensations within.

This is amazing, Scatterblade thought. Why hasn't every bonded pair just stayed this way forever?

Maybe they have, Illusory thought in return. Maybe this is what they're fighting for.

What a thought, he grinned, this is amazing.

 


	33. Event Thirty Three

Event Thirty-Three

~

_Thus we reach the point where the shattered remains will create the new illusion._

~

 

Several Earth days passed in simplicity – mostly. Red Alert went through a few fits when his 'ideal security measures' were shot down by either Prowl claiming that they were impractical, or the bonded pair that were to live with the alterations stating that it was just too much.

Jazz spent most of his time trying to run interference; keeping Red Alert away from Illusory as much as possible with gentle explanations that he was just too stressful and it wasn't good for a carrying femme to be exposed to his type of stress. Red Alert didn't agree, but that didn't matter when he was outnumbered when Scatterblade added his voice to the argument.

When the general build of the security defenses had been complete Red Alert became mostly quiet, holing himself up in a recent add on to the home; a security room where he intended to fine tune everything to perfection.

Illusory started to become more comfortable in their home, setting routines of walks around their rather sizable property; now bordered by a wall that allowed them a measure of privacy from the human world. They stayed in contact with Charlie, making the needed arrangements for her eventual move into the home once the main construction was complete and the road could be extended entirely up to the house.

Charlie delved into her preparations for the upcoming school semester. She was eager to get going from her long hiatus. Still, she enjoyed her time with her alien friends and was more than happy to help the bonded pair especially knowing that they had a child on the way. The wonders of an alien robot baby were just too thrilling to keep off her mind for long.

Finally construction was complete enough that the 'bots all agreed the road could be completed and an official address logged. The address and property was marked as a restricted private zone; no flights were allowed over the property and trespassers were warned of swift punishment for not heading warnings.

Between Charlie's input and some interior design influence from the Cybertronians, furniture had been brought in and made the house more comfortable for a human to reside in. All needed things were there and in top condition; a kitchen that might have been the dream of professional chef included. No comfort was overlooked and the 'bots were proud of their accomplishment.

The downstairs section had been fully prepared for the arrival of a sparkling and fitted for the comfort of the bonded pair that would be living there. Jazz had joked a few times that he wasn't leaving, claiming he was going to go AWOL and just live in the comfort of the beach house basement.

Illusory had mockingly teased the mech that if he dumped his military duties he would be perfectly welcome.

As everything wound down Charlie began moving her things in. Scatterblade couldn't hold everything she had and volunteered the others to help out as well. It wasn't that she had a lot of stuff; it was all packed into boxes rather tightly but the Bonneville could only carry so much. Jazz happily agreed to help and easily pushed Prowl into it as well. Red Alert came in the most useful as his alt mode was that of a full bed first alert fire vehicle. His bed had plenty of space to hold boxes and the mech himself was rather pleased to be able to scan the boxes as he transported them.

Charlie loaded her things with the help of her brothers. When she looked around her room – the walls and floor empty and swept clean – it was an eerie feeling to see only her sister's things and the distinct lack of personality.

“Are you sure you are ready for this?” Illusory asked from the doorway. “I have come across several documents that say humans can have separation anxiety when they leave their parents' home.”

“I'm fine,” Charlie chuckled tiredly. “I've moved away before. I'm going to be a lot closer this time, but it's always hard. Moving with family, moving without,” she shrugged. “I'll be okay.”

“I see. It is hard to leave home behind,” she agreed, “but sometimes something better comes along.”

“Yeah,” the redhead nodded with a smile. “I'm more than excited for what comes next.”

“Good! Then we should be on our way...before Red Alert starts going through your things looking for 'security risks'...paranoid mech.”

“Alight, let's go save him,” Charlie giggled turning off the light and heading out to the family room. The younger two were teary eyed and she gave them an exasperated look, working to hide a sneaking grin. “I'm not moving to Utah again, I'll be a half hour away. Maybe if you're good you guys can come over this summer.”

Illusory smiled at the idea. Though it might make a few things a little more complicated overall; the idea of having younglings running about the house was rather pleasant.

“I'll come by every Sunday,” Charlie promised her mom and dad with a final hug and walked out to the waiting cars.

Illusory opened her door for Charlie, then once she was settled lead the way back to their house. She had a sense of completion knowing that Cahrlie would be living there now. It was like everything was finally the way it was supposed to be. Sure, things would get difficult in the near future as they prepared to bring a sparkling into this strange world... 'I still cannot believe we are having a sparkling!' she thought ecstatically.

Scatterblade grinned widely to himself at her inner thrill. 'I'm excited too. I can't wait!'

The femme's engine gave a slight rev at his excitement, still thrilled at their connection and the openness of it.

Everything was in place and waiting to receive Charlie and her things when they arrived. The 'bots didn't hesitate to start hauling things inside and setting them where Charlie could go through them at her leisure.

“Welcome home!” Jazz cheered playfully as Charlie entered the house for the first time as her official home.

Charlie laughed and nodded to the saboteur. “Thanks, Jazz.”

Unpacking and settling in took sometime, but Charlie gladly showed off her things; her collection of rocks and photos, little knick-knacks, her boxes of books, even her bin with her pride of lions inside. Three sets of Simba and Nalas and several more Simbas. She even had a small Pumba and a tall Timon.

Jazz helped the human unpack with just as much enthusiasm as she had for the task. Prowl went through the motions not taking any real interest. Red Alert did just as Illusory had predicted and started scanning everything for threat levels – the femme was rather annoyed by his over-active sense of paranoia. Illusory herself observed the items with interest; learning more about her human friend as each new thing came out and was placed where it belonged.

After everything was put away the three visiting mechs announced that they would be leaving that evening after Ratchet had come to do his check up with Illusory and deliver their energon.

Charlie watched with a huge grin as the mechs moved around waiting for the CMO to arrive. She suddenly thought about why they were all there; they were trying to protect Illusory and Scatterblade, but they were going about it like it was a normal occurrence. War was their life. Fighting was in their DNA – or whatever it was that alien robots had. She couldn't help but to question if they even remembered what life was like without war. She thought back to war stories she had heard in school about Vietnam and WWII. All the gore and pain. The sheer hopelessness and the trauma to mind as much as to body. She tried to smile through it thinking that this was their hope. This small family about to grow was hope that could help them all remember. Remembering was half the battle.

Ratchet's arrival marked a minor meltdown for Illusory. All of the things she had spent this time thinking over rising to the surface as she sought answers from the only bot she thought might have them. Ratchet's infamous temper never once made an appearance as he dealt with the sometimes irrational femme.

Scatterblade tried his best to help calm her and 'hold her hand' through the 'ordeal'.

Charlie watched with fascination as the medic talked, argued, and helped the femme through her worries; all the while getting all the scans and exams he needed.

When all was said and done, Ratchet had all but demanded the femme stay at her home until it was closer to her due date; insisting that she was right in the thought that a military base was no place for a carrying femme. He also assured them both that Red Alert's skill at security insured that they were as safe here as they would be on base.

“If you have any concerns you can always comm. Someone will come; it isn't that far away.”

Scatterblade nodded, showing far more confidence than his mate. “Will do.” He hugged Illusory close. 'Everything will be fine,' he assured her.

Taking in large amounts of cool air, the femme calmed herself and put some faith in the medic and believing her mate would do everything to be sure they really would be fine. She smiled through her anxiety. “Thank you, Ratchet. I...am sorry.”

“Don't be,” the medic smiled back. “I would be concerned if you weren't acting like a first time creator. It is natural.”

Scatterblade chuckled some, relieved by the statement. “Thanks for everything, doc.”

“Of course. If there is nothing else, I will be heading back to base. Keep up on your rest and energon intake; both of you.” He made sure that Scatterblade acknowledged the order. “I'm sure you've been paying close attention to your new bond. Both of your sparks are healthy so I have no worries there; however, as the sparkling develops Illusory may draw on yours unknowingly. You have to keep your own spark strong and well energized or you could both suffer for it.”

The mech nodded. “Absolutely.”

With a final goodbye the visiting mechs all departed, finally leaving the bonded pair and their new housemate to enjoy their home.

When everyone was gone for some time and Illusory was satisfied that the house was sufficiently quiet, she vented loudly and dropped to the floor. “I thought they would never leave!”

Charlie scrambled to her. “You okay?  


Scatterblade knelt down beside her, at first worried but laughed when he realized there was nothing at all wrong with her. “What are you doing?”

“Relaxing,” she chuckled. “I am fine. I just had not realized how much...energy visitors required.”

Scatterblade laughed again and shook his head at her.

“Friends tend to do that,” Charlie nodded with a giggle, “but in a good way.

“I suppose,” the femme agreed. “Now, what do we want to do for our first night all here; officially home?”

Charlie pointed in the general direction of her room. “Movie marathon?”

“That sounds fantastic!” Illusory grinned, getting back to her feet.

“Help me grab some movies,” Charlie called as she scrambled to her feet and hurried off.

More than happy to help, Illusory picked out some movies they had not yet seen. She chose a lot of Disney movies, finding them far more entertaining than most 'action' movies. She felt there was plenty of real action in her life; she didn't need to watch it in a movie as well.

Charlie eagerly agreed with the choices, her inner child threatening to break lose as she grabbed Lilo and Stitch to add to the mix. She couldn't help a giggle at watching an alien movie with her alien friends.

As each movie came to an end Illusory would ask many questions trying to figure out why certain characters would act in a certain way when it made far more sense that they should have done something else. Or why when some characters did terrible things they weren't arrested, or tried for their crimes. Still, in the end she enjoyed the stories for what they were; stories.

The red head was a wealth of childhood knowledge and tried to help the femme understand what was going on. Scatterblade laughed as the two tried to figure out the nuances of each movie.

When the movie marathon came to an end Illusory stretched languidly, several joints popping as she pushed her frame to its limits. Charlie had started to doze during the last film and was asleep by the time it ended.

Scatterblade poked her softly. “Charlie, you awake?”

“Hey, do not wake her,” Illusory scolded, waiting to see if the human would stir.

Charlie just mumbled in her sleep, rolling over onto her side.

Sideswipe winced at her movement, hoping he hadn't actually woken her. When she remained still and sleeping he shrugged apologetically.

Illusory turned down the lights and found a blanket to cover the human with. For a moment she had considered moving her to her bed, but thought that might wake her up so opted to leave her where she was. 'We should probably turn in too,' she encouraged her mate as she headed for their room.

Scatterblade agreed completely. 'That sounds like a good idea.'

Several days passed as the trio adjusted to living. Illusory was more than happy to have Charlie around and offered to drive her wherever she needed to go. The security system had a few glitches but overall worked without so much as a thought from any of the occupants. Another visit from Ratchet was coming up quick but this time Illusory seemed more comfortable with how things were going.

Scatterblade was grateful for the rest and relaxation this place had provided them. He couldn't remember being so relaxed. There had been times in the past when nothing was going on and he had goofed off, but he shut down that memory file quickly. It was easier to keep that time buried in his processor.

Ratchet's arrival brought news from the base; more Autobots had been arriving and things remained quiet as far as fighting went. They were still searching for the Decepticons as always, but there had been no activity in the past three orns and they were all getting time to relax. He complimented them all on their comfortable life and their lower stress levels. 

“It's almost like old times,” the medic mused. “It's a good sign that maybe things are finally starting to go back to normal.”

“That would be fantastic,” Illusory said wistfully, though there was no misconception in her processor that things would ever be 'normal' again. She didn't even remember what 'normal' was; she was so young when the war started that she couldn't even recall what it was like without war.

“What was it like?” Charlie asked, remembering that she had been told to ask Ratchet about pre-war Cybertron.

“Oh, it was...” the medic sat back as he considered the question. “Well, the Golden Age was really the peak of Cybertronian civilization. There were still troubles; obviously or a war would never have started, but the planet as a whole was in wonderful condition. I can't say that a 'bot ever went without proper care...though I'm sure it probably happened outside of view.” He shrugged. “It was a peaceful time with great things.”

Charlie smiled. “Cool.” Thinking of an alien Golden Age brought questions flooding. “What did you do for fun? Did you have things like movies or plays? Literature? How about the culture and religion?”

Scatterblade chuckled at her child-like curiosity. “Don't plow your circuits, kiddo.”

“Yes, we had all of those things.” Ratchet smiled tolerantly. “Actually, if you're interested in the live entertainments; you should talk to the twins. They used to be performers in a stunt troupe. Sideswope's pretty proud of his time there. Sunstreaker left to become a rather well known painter, but his background was with his twin. If you want to hear more about the religion Hound or Optimus would be the ones to talk to; they would both be more than able to answer your questions. As for literature, I don't know any mech that has read more than Perceptor. He is a veritable resource of information if you can understand what he's saying.

Charlie's grin was contagious, growing at the diversity she was learning about. “Wow! I'd like that a lot.”

“Hn,” Illusory added somewhat disapprovingly. “You have not really had a chance to meet any of them, have you?” She thought the twins were fine, but she knew their knack for trouble. She didn't mind the idea of Charlie around Optimus or Hound so much; both mechs were – for the most part – ather considerate and attentive, so she would probably be safe with them; but Perceptor was completely out of the question in her processor. The mech was a scientist that didn't always think about what he was doing before he did it.

“Not really,” she shrugged. “Just Sideswipe, Jazz, and Ratchet.”

“Use caution,” the femme warned.

“They aren't so bad...” Ratchet started, though there was little conviction in his voice. “they have all been educated on how to act around humans.”

“Are they that bad?” Charlie chuckled.

“No,” Ratchet started.

“Yes,” Illusory argued.

“If they were, they would not be allowed to interact with the humans on base,” Ratchet stated firmly.

“Yeah...and how many times were the twins sentenced to the brig in the past few orns alone?”

“They haven't been to the brig in several orns,” Ratchet said, then shook his head. “I can't believe I'm arguing for them...”

“Exactly my point. If you choose to interact with them – Optimus and Hound aside – I suggest you have either Scatterblade or I with you.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” An amused smile slipped across Charlie's face.

Scatterblade agreed with Illusory. “I don't know the twins very well either, but I'll definitely go with you.”

“There are many 'bots you can talk to. Everyone has their own takes on it all, though I am very sure there isn't a one that doesn't hope for things to return to something similar to normal.”

Charlie nodded solemnly. “I hope you can all get to that point.”

“We are headed in the right direction,” the medic assured them all. “A sparkling is definitely a good first step.”

Scatterblade grinned hugely, his spark brightening.

Ratchet reported everything well with the femme and her mate. He said the sparkling was developing healthy and well. He happily discussed some of the aspects of Cyberton with Charlie; mostly talking about the schools there and some of the politics that had been in place before things had fallen apart.

The woman listened, eagerly taking in all the mech said. She wasn't overly knowledgeable about politics for her own planet but she was more than willing to listen.

Ratchet left after some time with a promise to return in three orns as usual.

~*~

Illusory waited quietly for her charge in the parking lot. She opted not to generate her holoform unless Charlie needed the help to save on energy.

Charlie left the store with her supplies. She had used nearly half of her paycheck to buy snacks, sparkling cider, and of course her surprise for the 'bots. The redhead pushed the cart to the femme, her bags were bulging and her grin was just as bit. “I almost have everything I need. Just need to swing by this tent real fast.”

“Why are they selling goods in a tent? Could they not obtain proper licensing to sell within a building? Is it legal? Should you even go in there?”

Charlie giggled. “It's only in a tent because it's temporary. They sell some special merchandise,” she grinned dropping the bags off.

“If you say so...” the femme said with obvious doubt for the explanation.

After a few minutes she returned with another two bags. “All set here! Let's head home.”

After making sure Charlie was secure inside, Illusory headed back to their home. They had a few other visitors over the past few days, but nothing remarkable; the place was still new and still exctiting for the femme. That was her home and she adored it as well as those that occupied it with her. 'We're home,' she nudged her mate.

'Cool. You guys had a long trip, what were you doing?'

'Shopping,' the femme explained with some doubt. 'Charlie had some things to gather for the 'New Year' celebration.'

'Fun! Charlie's been excited for it. It'll be fun to celebrate with her.' Scatterblade's own excitement was palpable.

'She is plotting something...' the femme warned suspiciously. There was no hostility to her suspicions, but vorns of seeking beings up to one thing or another had taught her to spot when someone was trying to keep something secret. Not that Charlie had made it that difficult, but Illusory couldn't fathom what the human was up to.

'Plotting?' Scatterblade laughed. 'She's capable of that?'

'Apparently even the most innocent beings carry a touch of deviousness in them,' the femme said in a teasing tone. 'Something about vendors that deal out of tents. She assures me it is legal though.' Illusory waited until Charlie had finished moving her bags before transforming and going inside.

Scatterblade chuckled and joined them outside to help Charlie carry her bags in. “So what do you have here?” He asked, trying to be nonchalant.

“Oh come on, it's a surprise!” She said in a sing-song voice. “You'll have to wait til the sun goes down.”

“Why would we have to wait until the sun goes down?”

“To better see the surprise.” It was the last clue that she would give as she gathered her supplies and organize them for the walk down to the beach. 

The tent items, food and a cup fit into a duffle rather nicely. She slug it over her shoulder and headed out. “Who's ready to hit the beach?”

“I am always ready for the beach,” Illusory practically chirped, though se was till looking over Charlie's bag with caution.

Scatterblade scooped up the redhead and took the lead. “Any place in particular?”

“Somewhere with a sizable sandy spot.”

With directions and some confusion as to what the young woman was planning, they started off for the beach.

Illusory enjoyed the beach greatly. She found it to be the most peaceful place she had ever been and liked to spend as much time as she could just enjoying its existence. When they found a spot that met Charlie's demands, the femme helped to clear things away and set rocks around in strategic places to provide seating and 'tables' as needed.

Charlie asked Scatterblade to find some firewood. The mech obliged easily, placing the woman down near the rocks Illusory was setting up and walked off in search of the requested wood.

Illusory sat on one of the larger rocks when she was done moving them around. “What all does this celebration entail?” She asked as she watched Charlie.

“It's celebrating the last day of the year and the first day of the year. There are huge parties and lots of food and games. Then to celebrate the new year we count down the seconds until midnight and-” she grinned feeling a squeal of excitement in the back of her throat. “And that's the surprise!”

“Counting to midnight is the surprise?”

“It's what we do at midnight that is the surprise.”

“I..see...” she was amused by the secrecy, but couldn't help wanting to know what this 'surprise' was.

“Don't worry. It's a really fun surprise,” Charlie assured her. “I think you'll both enjoy it.”

“Enjoy what?” The black mech joined the two, his arms held several logs he had found.

Charlie was actually surprised by the quality of the wood. “Where'd you find those?”

Scatterblade chuckled nervously. “I, uh...there wasn't a lot of this stuff just laying on the beach. I kinda killed a tree.”

Charlie burst into laughter. “That's totally fine!”

“It seems that there is a count down to midnight and then there is a surprise...” the femme answered as she helped Scatterblade place the wood.

“Surprise, huh?” Scatterblade eyed the redhead with a raised optic ridge.

“Oh, come on guys!” She whined. “Let me have this just once, please?”

“Alright,” the mech laughed as he took a seat on a rock. “We're just teasing you.”

Illusory laughed and sat beside her mate. “Yes, yes, have your surprise.”

Charlie took a breath to calm herself and smirked up at them. It wasn't long before her smile had returned fully and she dived into her bag. She pulled out a cylinder of Pringles, white and red mints, pretzles, chocolate and a bottle of Martinelli's. “this is the tradition our family has had for years. We get sick off of jnk food and drink sparkling cider.”

“That sounds...peasant...” Illusory stated doubtfully. “You enjoy making yourself sick on junk food?”

Charlie giggled. “It's honestly just an expression. We usually stop before we actually get sick.”

“Oh, good,” Scatterblade mock vented. “Otherwise I'd have to be worried about ya.”

Illusory chuckled softly. “Well then, what shall we do until it is time for the count down?”

“We can go down to the water until it gets too cold then come back up here for a fire,” Charlie suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Scatterblade nodded.

“Me too,” Illusory agreed. She scooped up Charlie as she headed toward the water.

Charlie laughed with the sudden change in altitude. She watched how Illusory's feet sank into the sand with each step, each print left behind deep enough Charlie was sure she probably would barely be able to see over the edge of it if she were to climb in.

Despite the detailed cleaning that had to follow every trip into the salty sea water, Illusory loved the ocean. She didn't hesitate to walk straight into the water. Scatterblade walked beside her with just as little concern. He enjoyed feeling the rush of the waves trying to trip him. Charlie stood in Illusory's hand, then jumped into the water.

The femme found it strange how such a fragile organic species could be so...care free. It was spark-lifting and it always made their trips to the ocean that much more pleasant when Charlie came with them. She always kept aware of where the human was to ensure that she didn't accidentally harm her, but otherwise enjoyed the water fully.

Charlie climbed up onto Scatterblade and convinced him to throw her up into the air. She squealed before she hit the water.

As time went by, Tibs and a few of his team showed up fully intent on enjoying the new year 'with a bang' as the man had said.

When everyone had arrived, Charlie was ready to start the fire and warm up.

Illusory watched the humans talk and have fun, though she worried any time the mentioned 'big bang' or 'surprise'. The fact that so many of them were so interested in keeping this secret made her nervous.

Fifteen minutes to midnight the group started playing a game called fluffy bunny. They put ten giant marshmallows in their mouth and whoever could keep saying fluffy bunny after putting more in was proclaimed the winner. Charlie got to at least eleven before she started laughing her head off and spit out the sweet puffs. The game ended when one of the guys announced it was two minutes to midnight  
'Humans are...weird...' Illusory said to her mate even as she laughed at their antics.

'Yeah, they definitely are,' Scatterblade agreed with a chuckle. 'It's fantastic.'

'It is.'

“Alfight,” Charlie announced. “I've got the stuff over here, come grab what you want to light up!”

Tibs was more than eager to join Charlie with a clearly devious grin on his face. “Yep!” He declared doudly. “Big Bang!” He grabbed up a few things before scampering off to set up his treasures.

The other humans traded sly glances as more colorful items were added to Charlie's pile of things.

“Does this disturb you as much as it does me?” Illusory asked Scatterblade aloud, which set several of the humans into fits of laughter.

The black mech found the laughter contagious. “It can't be anything worse than the twins' antics,” he assured her.

Venting dramatically, Illusory agreed. “You are right on that.”

Charlie pulled a round red and black object from the bag. “It's a ladybug. Guy at the tent told me it can reach fifty feet,” she told some of the men. “So excited to see what happens!”

“Fifty feet?” The femme studied the small object. “How?”

Charlie grinned. “You'll see.”

“Thirty seconds!” Someone shouted.

The countdown began with a chorus of voices chanting to zero. Illusory watched with great interest as she ticked away at the seconds internally. Five seconds until midnight everyone had a lighter out and as they all screamed 'one!' in unison, the fuses were lit.

Charlie's lady bug lit up and spun on the rock, suddenly it shot into the air; a bright red light flying straight up.

“HOLY SLAG!” Illusory shrieked as all sorts of chaos seemed to break out at once. She jumped away from the explosions, instinctively ducking behind Scatterblade for protection.

The mech was surprised by it all and instantly he deployed a blaster. He shot down several of the lights that came at the group. One of the missiles exploded as it was hit. Scatterblade turned his back to the blaze and covered Illusory.

Charlie screamed at the sudden attack and dove behind a rock, fight or flight in full swing. She peaked up from behind her protective barrier once it was all over.

Scatterblade stood and turned on the men, his sword hilts appearing but not yet fully drawn. “What the slag was that all about?” He demanded.

Illusory looked around for any more of the colorful missiles fearfully.

Tibs was stunned by the reaction of the bots, but as he thought of it he realized it made sense. They were long time war victims after all. “I'm sorry,” he laughed nervously. “Maybe we should have warned you.”

Scatterblade kept his stance, more irritated and scared than angry. He vented loudly, lowering himself to a rock. “Mind if we start over?” He chuckled tiredly.

Charlie stood and grabbed more of the fireworks. “Want to light a few?” She offered.

Scatterblade nodded. “Sure.”

Illusory took a few minutes to steady herself, but managed to find a smile for her human friends. “I think I will pass.”

Tibs felt pretty bad for scaring the bots, but at the same time found it amusing that they could be startled by something so small. “You sure?” He tempted. “It's pretty fun to blow things up that doesn't hurt anyone.”

“And you have to admit they're pretty,” Scatterblade offered with a glance up at the lights as more fireworks went off.

“They are bright,” the femme gave. Her spark was just starting to settle as she watched a few more of the rockets go off. The spread of lights was attractive to the optics, but she couldn't help the images that tried to drag themselves over the simple beauty.

Scatterblade agreed with the feelings coming over their bond. 'It can be a little hard to forget, even for a little while; but it's worth it.'

'Yeah,' she tried to agree. The humans were obviously having fun and Scatterblade seemed to be enjoying himself for the most part. That was nice if nothing else was. She still flinched every time one of the bright rocket would explode and she all but dove for cover every time of of the screaming ones shot off; but otherwise managed to control herself well enough to enjoy the company if not the activities.

The mech kept an arm around her, more than willing to keep her safe when she felt like she wasn't.

Charlie kept firing off the fireworks having a blast with each and every one of the men. She successfully scared two but then they ganged up on her.

Tibs came to Charlie's 'rescue' and things quickly turned to team vs. team in mock battle. Illusory watched quietly, keeping a close eye on her charge but allowed the humans to have their fun.

The fight moved to the water once again and it turned into a dunking match, then into a chicken fight. Charlie crawled back up to the sand and cheered the fighters on, laughing from the safety of the beach.

“You alright?” Illusory asked Charlie.

With a giggle and a grin, she gave the femme a thumb's up. “I'm good.”

The femme offered Charlie a better view of the goings on from her shoulder. “Is this how all new years are handled?

Charlie shrugged. “It was less wild with the family, but yeah. Pretty much.”

“Why? What is the purpose?”

“To celebrate the old year and getting excited for the new one.”

“Oh...” Illusory tiped her head slightly as she thought about it. “Why?”

The redhead took a few seconds to honestly think about it. She shrugged finally. “Maybe it's because we need some excitement in our lives. It's more like being reminded that we can start over. There are so many times in my life that I felt like I screwed up so badly that I could never ever go bak. Like all hope was lost, but then I remember that tomorrow is a new day. I can start fresh after a good night's sleep. I can start over. The new year gives us a chance to say, 'yeah, I had some bad months and some not so good days, but this is a new year and things can be different.' It's a celebration marking the start of a second chance.”

“Start of a second chance? I like that!” The femme smiled broadly. After all, she and Scatterblade were trying for a second chance; this was a wonderful way to celebrate.

“I'm glad,” Charlie grinned back, leaning against the femme and laughing more as another man was tossed into the water.

Once everyone had their fill of being completely soaked and dunked under, they all crawled ashore.

Scatterblade added more wood to the fire, stoking it up to a huge blade to help warm them all. Charlie joined them, climbing from Illusory's shoulder to sit by the fire.

Illusory pulled a rag and solvent from her spacepocket and started cleaning the dried salt from Scatterblade's frame, doing as well as she could until they retired to their washrack to clean properly.

He hadn't registered she was that close and jumped slightly at the first touch. Looking up to her he smiled, relieved and reached his hand up to her face and brushed his hand over her cheek softly. 'Thank you,' he sent a loving embrace to her over their bond.

Illusory beamed brightly, leaning into his touch. 'Anytime, my love.'

Charlie glanced up at them across the fire and grinned widely. “Oh, love,” she sighed softly.

“They're cute,” Tibs agreed softly from nearby. “Like newlyweds.”

“Technically they are.” Charlie's grin broadened.

“Really? Tell me more.”

“I don't remember what it's called, but it's like marriage for them but so much deeper.”

“So, they've made it serious? I mean...they're a real pair now? That's amaizng!” He studied the bots carefully as if there was something huge to be learned from just how they interacted. “Do they act differently?”

"There's definitely a lot more PDA,” she grinned. “He's a lot more protective of her. Especially since...what happened,” she ended awkwardly.

“What _did_ happen? I never got the full on that.”

Charlie pulled in a deep breath and recounted to him what had happened. “I'd never heard 'Blade so scared. He's barely let her out of his sight since.”

“Oh...wow...” Tibs breathed in disbelief. He had known something bad had happened, Jazz had his 'serious' tone and the mech only got that for bad things; but he could never have imagined. “That's...wow. Those poor bots! No wonder they're a little jumpy. Man, I feel really kinda bad now for scaring them like that.”

“They'll be okay. They've got each other now,” Charlie grinned knowingly.

“That's good.” The man nodded, then a small smirk came over his face. “So...how long do you think it'll be til there's mini bots runnin' around here?”

Charlie shrugged. “I don't know how long it takes. And I'm not asking!” She put up a warning finger toward Tibs, but her face was smirking.

“So, are you excited? I mean, getting to be there when everything happens? Seeing it all? You'll be the first human to ever get to experience an alien...development so to speak.”

“If I were to try to express how excited I am, I think I would lose a lot of bodily functions,” Charlie nodded matter-of-factly with a massive grin on her face.

“I envy you,” he admitted.

“Envy me?”

“You're a part of their lives. You'll get to see every step of their interactions...you'll be the first human to see a lot of their culture around family. It'll be amazing!”

“Oh.” Charlie had to admit that she would be lying if she said she hadn't considered it, but the significance of it was lost on her. She was just living with a newly wed couple expecting a new addition to the family.

“Oh? That's really all you have to say?” Tibs laughed good naturedly. “You're not curious? Excited? It's the chance of a lifetime!”

Charlie laughed. “Of course I'm excited! Didn't you understand my last analogy? I'm trying to control my voice so I don't squeal every time I think about those two.”

“Right, right, bodily functions and all that....” the man recalled.

Charlie giggled again. “I really am extremely excited. There are so many things that I'm going to learn. I can't wait for it.”

“You will hae to share everything with me...for science.” He sounded a little embarrassed saying it, but it was true after all. This was a chance to observe naturally reproducing sentient machines; it was beyond belief.

“Of course,” Charlie smiled, blushing in the firelight.

Tibs sighted happily. “It's sure a good life right now.”

“Yeah,” the redhead agreed, her smile broadening. “It's only gonna get better.” She said it positively, resolutely. Things had been rough, especially recently and she thought that people – bots – like Scatterblade and Illusory deserved some kind of happy ending. Or at the very least a long, long respite.

After watching the two until Illusory seemed content with her task, Tibs did his best to look like he _hadn't_ been starting at them and looked for something to cover his awkwardness. “So...what's your New Year resolution, Charlie?”

Charlie chuckled dryly. “To get my associates.”

“Oh. Well, that's good. Boring, but good...” Tibs laughed teasingly. “What's it in?”

“Science,” Charlie shrugged, but her tone immediately changed as a wistful smile took over filling her voice with excitement and passion. “Really, I want to get a degree in Animal Science. I would love to work at a Zoo. Zookeeping only pays like twenty grand a year, but I would love every day of it.”

“You gotta do what you're passionate about,” he agreed with a grin and a nod.

“Yeah. You're definitely fulfilling yours,” she added teasingly with a grin.

Tibs laughed. “Yeah! And I didn't even know this is really what I wanted to do! I thought I was going to build computers for the rest of my life.”

“Really?” Charlie tilted her head in curiosity. “How'd you get involved with NEST?”

“Uh...well, it was kind of an accident I guess. I was researching the possibility of artificial intelligence one night and apparently my interest gained interest of others. I was ordered to 'leave it alone'...but, you know what happens when someone tells you to leave something alone.” Tibs sighed again as he recalled all the trouble he had gotten into. “Needless to say I was given two choices; jail or sign on with NEST. I chose the easy route and I haven't ever looked back.”

“Wow!” Charlie whistled. She paused for a few seconds. “Guess I got lucky still being able to see my family and everything. Have you heard from yours?”

“Oh, yeah. The ones that still talk to me anyway. My cousin, mostly. She keeps me up to date on the family. I...just really don't have time I guess. Not that we were ever all that close.”

“Oh. I guess I'm just so used to having lots of family all the time,” Charlie shrugged. “My dad's family had six kids and my mom's had five. Funny thing is Dad's side only had two siblings that got married and had kids.”

“Wow, that's a big family! Do...do you plan on having a big family?”

Charlie nodded with a fond grin. “Maybe five. It depends on the kids. If I can handle three then I'll have one more. And if I can handle that I'll have my last one.”

Tibs laughed. “If I could handle one, I'd be impressed.”

Charlie snickered. “Comes with being the oldest, I guess. You develop a lot of patience.”

“That's a good thing!” Tibsannounced with enthusiasm.

“What's a good thing/” Illusory asked, finally deciding she was finished with scrubbing salt off of Scatterblade.

“Patience,” Charlie grinned. “Siblings are great practice for kids of my own.”

“Oh,” the femme nodded. “I suppose younger siblings would help expose a being to the process of rearing offspring.”

“Sometimes,” Tibs stated. “I had two brothers but I sure as heck didn't learn anything about raising children from them.”

Scatterblade joined the group. “I never had any siblings.”

“Neither did I,” Illusory agreed.

“That might be a lucky thing,” Tibs teased. “Sometimes siblings are more trouble than their worth.”

Charlie nodded with some reservation. “Yeah, in some cases it's true. They just need some...humbling every now and then.”

Laughing at Charlie's comment, Tibs shook his head. “Maybe that's what I did wrong. I was such a push over.”

Charlie giggled, imagining the lanky man just kowtowing to his younger siblings. Suddenly a yawn crept up on her.

“Ready to head back?” Scatterblade teased.

“No!” She yawned hard.

“Hn,” Illusory chided, “you sure seem to be wearing down.”

“Ah, I'll keep her up!” Tibs announced poking Charlie in the side as he did.

Charlie tried to fight him off, poking back.

“It is not healthy for your kind to push your rest requirements,” Illusory argued.

“I'll go to bed in a little bit,” the redhead promised.

Charlie's retaliation only encouraged Tibs and he continued to poke at her then tried to tickle her; there were some cheers from the other humans around as they watched. Charlie laughed uncontrollably, waving her arms and kicking her legs.

Scatterblade laughed as he watched and soon joined in the cheering. Illusory looked on with some worry at the struggle but chose not to intervene unless Charlie asked; she was learning humans had strange customs and thought this must be another one of them. She couldn't help but wonder if this was some form of courtship ritual or something of the like.

Tibs continued until he felt Charlie had reached a rather acceptable shade of almost purple. He backed off enough to let her breathe.

Charlie gasped for oxygen, unable to stop laughing. When she got enough to her brain to think clearly she smacked Tibs repeatedly in play.

Defending himself with one hand he tried to grab her hands with his other. She giggled wildly as she evaded his attempts.

Finally deciding power over tact was his best option, Tibs lunged for the woman and pinned her. “Ha! I got you now!” He declared victoriously.

“You win!” The redhead laughed uncontrollably.

“Yes I do,” he agreed happily.

“I did not realize this was a contest. What was the purpose of this competition?” Illusory asked.

Tibs, for all he was worth, was torn between hysterical laughter and attempting to keep a straight face. “Uh...well...there wasn't really a purpose, I suppose...” he said through a shaking voice, laughter fighting for dominance.

Charlie just laughed more at his struggle. “It was...just for fun...” she said gasping to catch her breath.

“A contest for fun?” Illusory asked doubtfully.

“Pretty much,” Charlie sighed as she caught her breath and splayed out in the sand.

“Hn,” the femme mumbled softly to herself. The whole idea was simply beyond her.

Scatterblade stood to stretched a few kinks out of his frame then put his arms around Illusory, nestling his cheek up to hers. “Now are we ready to head back?”

The femme hummed happily at his touch, leaning into him. “Yes, I believe I am ready. Charlie? Will you be coming up now or do you wish to stay here?”

“I'll come now,” the redhead nodded, rolling over and pushing herself to stand. “Night guys!” She waved to the group.

“Night!” Everyone shouted in unison.

“See ya around,” Tibs offered as he waved.

Illusory offered her hand to the woman, taking a final count of those still there just in case there was some emergency, then headed home.

Nestled in Illusory's palm and worn out from all day and night on the beach, Charlie was soon fast asleep.

Scatterblade kept his sensors on high the whole way home out of habit.

When they reached home, Illusory carefully placed Charlie in her bed before turning for theirs. “This human holiday certainly is...interesting,” she pointed out quietly.

“Yeah,” Scatterblade agreed. “I like the whole idea of starting fresh every year.”

“It is a very nice idea,” the femme agreed. “Maybe if we practiced such hope and forgiveness, our kind wouldn't have become what we are now.”

Scatterblade grinned. “Well, that doesn't mean we can't start now.”

“I like that idea,” she agreed whole sparked.

 

~*~

 

Charlie had been upstairs cooking popcorn in the microwave. School was out for winter break and she was determined to enjoy every minute of it; starting with popcorn/movie marathon.

The machine peeped announcing her snack was done. She took out the bag and shook it on her way to the couch. Just as she was about to sit, a thunderous cry rang from the basement. The bag split open and popcorn flew everywhere as she tumbled to the floor, missing the couch entirely. She scrambled to her feet, leaving the mess as it had fallen and flying down the stairs. She saw Scatterblade on his knees, one hand clutching at his chest.

“What the frag was that?” Charlie asked breathless, the blood was already draining from her face and hands.

“Lu,” Scatterblade ground out trying to crawl toward his mate.

Illusory lay curled around herself trembling with a pain she had never before known and didn't fully understand. She wanted to scream, but even the thought of moving enough to do so was painful. She reached for Scatterblade through their bond, begging him to help her, to make the pain stop.

He reached for her across their bond, trying to pull away the pain. It was difficult as similar pain echoed through his own spark.

“Lu!” Charlie yelped as she spotted the femme. “Blade, what do we do? Ratchet! Get Ratchet!”

He was already reaching out to the medic, emergency protocol guiding him even as his processor felt scrambled. ::Ratchet! Get out here, NOW!::

Ratchet's response was immediate. ::What's going on?::

Illusory shrieked as another pulse of pain tore through her spark.

Scatterblade growled in an attempt to hit the wave head on, only to find it wasn't the best strategy. ::We were wrong; timing was off...get down here!:: He demanded, his pain clear in the transmission.

::Slag! I'm already on my way. Try to keep calm, both of you. We'll be there as soon as we can.:: The transmission didn't end, Ratchet clearly holding the line open in case Scatterblade needed him, but the medic was quiet as he set about getting everything together as quickly as possible to rush to the seaside home. They had been so sure they would get them to the base in time for delivery, they hadn't even prepared should they have to go there instead, meaning more time than the medic liked in gathering supplies and moving out.

Illusory continued to writhe through the pain, though she felt like she was becoming numb to it – it still hurt and her body still shook from the waves of pain, but she seemed to not be as aware of it.

Charlie felt hot tears of helplessness spring to her eyes. She had no way of helping these two short of pushing the mech to try and help him reach Illusory. It wasn't really helpful, but it made her feel better.

Scatterblade was making progress across the floor to her, every nanosecond felt like a vorn. He tried to reach past the pain raging over their bond to his femme. Each time he tried he felt himself washed away by the torrents. Still, he kept moving until he reached her.

Once Scatterblade was physically touching her, Illusory seemed to feel that this was all worth it; the pain was wretched, but it meant something wonderful and she wasn't alone. 'I'm sorry,' she pleaded with him, not wanting him to feel the pain but unable to ebb it at all.

The mech laughed weakly, pulling her close. 'Just let me hold it for a while, until Ratchet gets here. Let me take the pain.'

For a moment, everything settled. The pain lingered but did not grow any worse and the pair were left to comfort each other during the lull. “Eager,” Illusory stated of the little sparkling that was demanding life beyond her spark.

Charlie collapsed to the ground beside the two and sighed in relief that they weren't screaming anymore. She giggled tiredly. “Eager, my butt.” She shook her head.

Scatterblade chuckled, his spark settling a little more.

“Three orns early...” Illusory teased quietly. She felt almost as if her frame was no longer hers and she was just a visitor within, but for the moment she was okay with that.

"Taking after you already."  Scatterblade teased.

“Heh," the femme laughed. "Maybe so, though I am sure we'll see where you're spark left its mark soon enough.”

“I have no doubt,” he laughed.  


Charlie sat holding her legs and resting her head as she watched them. She had never been present at any of her siblings births and this was a grand opportunity. Tibs had been going on and on about it for months but as she watched she almost felt like she was intruding.

Just as Illusory thought everything would stay calm until Ratchet arrived, she could feel a slow burn building in her spark once again. "No," she moaned. "It's starting again." She grabbed a hold of Scatterblade as if she could get closer to him and that would stop the pain from returning.

Charlie tensed at the exclamation. "Contractions," she murmured shaking her head, "It's contractions. And they're both feeling it."  


"Just focus on me," Scatterblade told the femme, "let me take it."

Illusory turned all her focus on Scatterblade, on their bond and their love and it seemed to help slow the increase of searing pain.  


"Where is Ratchet!" She finally demanded as she reached her tolerance and the pain kept creeping up.

"Great question," the mech growled in frustration. ::ETA?::

::Soon. How are you two doing?::

::Hanging in.:: His usual enthusiasm dampened by the waves of pain. ::Pedal to the metal,:: he reminded him.

::We are nearly there. Can you tell how far along the separation is?::

::A few breems.::

::Good, good, plenty of time. Just keep calm and everything will be fine.::

“Yeah sure,” he vented then told the two ladies the good news.

Illusory tried to relax, to be patient, but as time passed she was sure that she might fall apart. The pain was growing too much for her to take anymore and she begged to just offline until it was over. However, even if she had enough strength of processor to accomplish it, her frame no longer responded to her wants and desires. Some unknown subroutine had taken over and she no longer had any control of it.

As things were getting worse, Ratchet announced his arrival as he rushed through the house.

Scatterblade called out to him, remotely opening the doors to the basement.

The medic flew down the stairs, closely followed by Jolt and Wheeljack. He didn't say a word as he came to the bonded pair and started working, connecting to Illusory to see what was going on. "The spark has nearly separated," he informed everyone. "We have to get her laid down so I can get to her spark chamber," he explained as he started pulling the femme away from Scatterblade.

Illusory whimpered, but she didn't fight. She just wanted the pain to stop and, while a part of her was still leery of the medic, she had come to trust Ratchet to care for her and do what was needed.

Scatterblade was too numb to resist the movement but he stayed as near to her as he could. Charlie was sure to stay out of their way, climbing high so she didn’t get under foot.

Once Illusory was laid flat, Ratchet started overriding commands so that he could access her spark chamber. "Illusory, I am going to open your spark chamber now. Try to keep still."

The femme tried to brace herself, but the second the medic touched her spark chamber she felt like fire had erupted inside her. She screamed and tried to move away, but the others had been prepared and Wheeljack was there to hold her down.

"Ah know, femme," he soothed. "It'll be over in uh klik, just hold on."

Jolt remained nearby, it was clear to any who looked at him that this whole thing was new to him. He was young and had never delivered, or seen the delivery of a new spark before. He focused on helping Scatterblade through the shared pain as Ratchet continued trying to open Illusory's spark chamber.

The room was suddenly filled with bright light and Ratchet was shouting orders to the two mechs that had come with him. In a flurry of movement and sound, the light was gone and Illusory was no longer screaming. A tiny frame that Wheeljack had pulled from his subspace storage was now wiggling with life and being handed to the new creators.  
Everything had happened so fast, Illusory was left stunned and drained. Her spark ached with a dull throb, but the searing pain was gone.

It took several kliks for the mech to come back to himself. He was kneeling beside the femme staring blankly at the two frames. The tiny frame sitting in his mate's arms fell into focus. The grin on his face grew stronger as the squirming life sank into his processor.

Illusory looked down at the tiny frame with pure disbelief at first. She couldn't quite understand what she was holding, why it was moving, or where it had come from. Then, as Scatterblade came to awareness, the excitement he felt brought her out of the seeming stupor.  


"Primus..." she breathed softly.  


"You are creators of a healthy little femme," Ratchet declared happily. "Have you chosen a designation?"

Charlie looked down in awe at the little family. "A girl?" she asked excitedly.  


The black mech was dumbstruck; he could hardly believe it. He looked to Illusory and grinned. Thinking of names had been a long and interesting process but they had come up with a few ideas.

"A femme," Illusory both confirmed and told herself, then started laughing almost uncontrollably. "A femme! My little darling, femme..."

Ratchet smiled at Illusory's reaction, though he continued monitored her very closely. "Yes," he assured her calmly, then turned to Scatterblade. "Have you discussed a designation? Or do you need time?"

"We're--still working on it," the mech nodded.

"Very well. I'd like to get you all back to base so I can give you a proper check; however, I think we will wait until you have all properly recharged to make that trek." Ratchet patted Scatterblade's shoulder and Illusory's leg at the same time. "Congratulations."

With that Wheeljack, Jolt, and Ratchet all headed upstairs to give the new creators a chance to bond with their sparkling.

Scatterblade's grin was hard to contain. He looked back down at his two femmes.

Charlie was awestruck and by the time she came down to join them she had tears running down her face. She covered her mouth with her hands though it could never hide her smile.

"That's your baby?" She asked sniffing some.

"Yeah," Scatterblade grinned, "she is."

Illusory scooped Charlie up so that she could see the sparkling resting in her other arm; the new sparkwas about half Charlie's size - small for a sparkling but appropriate for the size of her creators.

"Wheeljack did well on the frame," the femme murmured as she cuddled the small frame to her. "She's beautiful."

The redhead hung on and reached out to place her hand on the sparkling's. "She's so tiny!"

"She is," Illusory agreed.

The sparkling stopped moving for a moment at the new touch, then she changed her focus from watching her own little limbs to the creature touching her and chirped loudly with excitement.

"It appears she likes you," Illusory laughed.

Charlie chuckled. "Hi little one. Hi!" he said excitedly covering her eyes and playing a brief peekaboo game.

Scatterblade chuckled amused, "What are you doing?"

"I'm a pro at this," Charlie said without tearing her eyes from the sparkling and continuing to hide and cover her eyes.

The little femme watched with fascination while Charlie continued her game, then squealed happily as she covered her own eyes in mimicry of the human.

"Well then, she apparently understands." Illusory watched as the sparkling continued to mimic the human, chirping and squealing happily as she did.

This surprised Charlie some and she laughed. "You're catching on quick. Most newborns I know just cried, ate, and slept."

Scatterblade just watched with fascination. His little femmes were safe; all three of them. He vented knowing that he couldn't keep calling their sparkling femme. "What should we name her?" he asked.

"Precious," Illusory stated without hesitation. "My sweet, precious..." she cooed.

The black mech chuckled softly. "It's perfect. But a designation would be good too."

"Oh," the femme vented in mock disappointment. "I suppose if you're going to get all technical like that." She hummed as she thought for a bit. "I liked the designations with 'silver' in them the most," she suggested.

Scatterblade tested the name. "Silver...I really like how that sounds." He never felt so happy. Out of no where he pictured his teammates. Speedrunner and Traildust. It didn't hurt thinking about them anymore; only the pang he felt knowing that they couldn't be here to see this. Suddenly a grin formed on his face. "How do you like Silverdust?"  


"Aww...that's adorable!" Charlie fawned.

"That sounds perfect," the femme nodded. "Silverdust," she spoke softly to the sparkling, who only wiggled and chirped at being spoken to.

Scatterblade's grin grew wider and he reached out to the little femme for the first time. He ran a finger along Silverdust's tiny head.

Churring at the touch of her mech creator, Silverdust grabbed his fingers and pulled them to her face to study.

It startled him but he laughed, his spark swelling proudly.

Illusory watched as her sparkling continued to interact with those around her, but her processor grew fuzzy as the energy drain finally registered. She was exhausted and couldn't keep her optics online.

Scatterblade felt her weariness like a tug on his arm. "Do you need some help back up to your room, Charlie?" he asked.

"Nah, I can make it. You guys have a good night," she grinned saying a small goodbye to Silverdust.

Scatterblade helped her down the ground and she walked back to the stairs.

The mech turned his optics back to Illusory. He liberated his finger and sat directly beside his mate letting her gently rest against him. He wrapped his arms around her careful to leave room for Silverdust.

It wasn't long before the femme was in full recharge, Silverdust however, continued to squirm and churr for a while before settling into recharge herself.

Scatterblade amused himself with watching the tiny life. When she finally succumbed, he too closed his optics and slept.

Ratchet came to inspect the family unit as they recharged, keeping quiet as he did so and found himself pleased that the family was recharging together peacefully.

Several joors passed before Illusory found herself struggling to come back online. Her systems still craved recharge but her spark and processor demanded she check on the sparkling.

Silverdust was just starting to stir and make sounds of want as a need for energy grew within her.

Illusory adjusted herself, preparing to go retrieve energon for the sparkling, only to find plenty had been put just within reach for them all. "Hn," she mumbled as she retrieved a portioned amount for Silverdust.

Scatterblade grunted awake. "I'm up," he grumbled as if he had been caught.

"No worries," Illusory assured him. "Just refueling is all. Recharge."

He grunted again and slipped back to unconsciousness.

Illusory finished with her current task and then likewise fell back into recharge, only to be awakened again a few joors later to repeat the action. A part of her lamented a full recharge cycle, but the rest of her willingly abandoned the undisturbed recharge for the tiny being between her and her mate. She would never recharge again if that was what it took.

Several times throughout the night Scatterblade offered to help anyway he could. He knew they all needed to rest and he was determined to help make sure that it was obtained.

Illusory accepted his help a time or two, letting him refuel the sparkling, but more often than not she promised that everything was alright and that he should just go back into recharge.

When it was time to get up, the femme was still exhausted, but was still more than willing to be up and with her family.

Ratchet made sure they were all fueled before they prepared to head to the base for a full check up.

"You are coming with us, aren't you Charlie?" Illusory asked sleepily.

"Absolutely," the redhead nodded excitedly. "I let my family know my friends had a baby and they're visiting family. My mom said to have fun."

"We'll be glad to have you," Scatterblade grinned.

With some great 'to do' about it, all the 'bots gathered, transformed and prepared to head for the Autobot base. Illusory absolutely refused to let anyone else transport their sparkling and insisted that Charlie ride with her as well. Ratchet said something about possessive femme instincts kicking in already, but made sure to keep his comment soft and out of the femme's audio range.

Charlie was more than willing to oblige and climbed in. Scatterblade took position behind her, nearly tailgating. It took a few minutes of driving for the mech to relax and increase the distance between them.

Jolt led the way with Ratchet and Wheeljack following behind Scatterblade. They kept a slow but acceptable pace all the way back to the base where they were met by a swarm of eager people and 'bots wanting to greet the new sparkling.

Charlie was amazed by the large group. Excitement rose as they drove through the base.

The group halted near the medbay where Optimus himself stood waiting.

Illusory felt a sharp jolt of panic lace through her at the sight of him. She couldn't explain why the large mech still made her so nervous, but right now she couldn't bother herself with reason either. She crept backwards a few inches before stopping.

Scatterblade beamed proudly within his alt mode before standing. He glanced to Charlie and Illusory. He could see the redhead's wide eyes and excited open mouthed grin.

"Greetings," Optimus said, "and congratulations."

Illusory seemed reluctant to move, but finally allowed for Charlie to get out.

Charlie hopped out and waved hello.

"Thank you," Illusory said as she transformed, careful to keep the sparkling safely tucked close to her spark. When she finally stood she held Silverdust tightly to her chest.  
Silverdust looked around with pure excitement, chirping and wiggling as she tried to see everything at once.

Scatterblade laid a hand on his mate's shoulder and wagged the other in Silverdust's view to play with.

Ratchet came forward to greet the Autobot leader, placing himself in front of Illusory. "We have an evaluation to do," he pointed out. "Well wishes can wait."

"Of course," Optimus agreed, noting the femme's lingering apprehension.

Scatterblade nodded to Prime, "Good to see you."

Charlie automatically turned to head toward the medbay. She wouldn't reach it first but at least a head start would keep her from being under foot.

Illusory was quick to react to the human's move and scooped her up as she trotted through the door to the med bay and into the relative safety of the closed off rooms.

Optimus appeared somewhat disappointed by the femme's action, but didn't allow that to affect him. "It was good seeing you all, do not let us keep you," he waved his hand indicating that the mech should follow his femme to the med bay.

The black mech nodded with a friendly smile and followed after her.

When Ratchet joined them, he was already instructing each of them as to what he wanted of them during their exam.

Illusory responded willingly, though resisted letting go of Silverdust for any reason.

Scatterblade helped to encourage the femme promising they were both thinking of the sparkling's best interests.

When all was said and done, the medic pronounced them all healthy and free to go. "If you are comfortable with it, there are many who would like to meet the newest member of your family." He tried to sound as if they had a choice, but they all knew most of the base was waiting just outside for them.

Charlie looked up at the femme with an encouraging nod.

Scatterblade placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered softly through their bond, 'Everything will be alright. You have complete control of this.'

'Right,' she agreed with Scatterblade. She was nervous, but at the same time very excited.

Maybe she was feeling overprotective; these 'bots would never let anything bad happen to a sparkling...not if they had an option at least. "Let us introduce Silverdust to the masses..." she finally said with shaky confidence.

Scatterblade wrapped a one armed hug around the femme, Then scooped up Charlie and led the girls out into the rest of the base.

As expected, everyone that could be was there waiting to see the new family; human and 'bot alike.

At first nobody moved, all could see the near petrification in the femme as she stood before them holding her happily chirping and squirming sparkling as close to her as she possibly could.

It was a small femme - smaller than Illusory - that stepped forward first with a kindness about her and understanding in her optics. "May I?" She asked with no expectation.

Illusory recoiled at first, but after a quick, silent coaching to herself, relaxed. "Sure."

Arcee was everything a warrior wasn't the moment the sparkling was handed over to her. She was soft, and kind, and sweet. Nothing about her spoke of violence or war and all of the tenseness in Illusory just melted away. They needed this - all of them - just as much as Scatterblade and herself had wanted it.

Scatterblade beamed at the change he began to see in the bots around them, as if this was his doing. In part it was, but he wasn't about to boast about it; he just reveled in the shared excitement.  


Charlie still sat in Scatterblade's hand. This high up she felt a touch of honor at enjoying the moment with them all.

 


End file.
